


Mysterious Ways

by Living_Free



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Castiel, Big Brother Michael, Crack, Evil Sam, Fluff, Good Big Brother Michael, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Lucifer, Protective Michael, Sam being a jerk, Sam is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 19:24:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4316835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_Free/pseuds/Living_Free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hello precious ones! I have started a new fic where God stayed in Heaven and deems that the apocalypse should never happen. </p><p>Wherein God is a loving father, Lucifer is angsty, Michael is doubly so, and Adam kisses it all better. </p><p>Also, Castiel follows orders and sticks to Dean like honey to a beehive, and Dean doesn't really mind. In fact, he might like it a little too much.</p><p>Furthermore, Sam is pigheaded and Dean and his angels (plus Adam) must save the day. </p><p>As a side note, Bobby has run out of moonshine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adorable Angels and Overprotective Brothers

God was at His wits end.

The last time that had happened was when Gabriel had created the [potoo](http://consulting-cannibal.tumblr.com/post/126218372391/hey-would-you-do-a-god-and-gabe-comic-about-the)*, and it was universally agreed upon that that was most certainly not a good thing.

Lucifer was pitching another fit, and was looking to break out of the cage. God would haive opened the doors Himself, had only the boy reigned in his disastrous impulses and Daddy issues. God frowned. He wasn't that bad, certainly. The rest of his little ones had turned out to be just fine, apart from Michael, who would fall into bouts of sullenness on account of his brother being away from him.

Michael, his first child, the quintessential good son and brother. God smiled and felt a ripple of contentment radiate from His being. His angels who were nearby caught the soothing, happy, ripple and cooed in contentment. Inias bounced over and curled around his Heavenly Father's leg, emitting happy chirps. The other Angels followed suit, curling into their Father's warmth, which He graciously allowed. God sometimes wondered about who had blessed Him, when he saw all his beautiful, loving, children like this. It was always something to brag about with Death, who was otherwise unflappable and a bit of an insufferable twit. God forced himself out of his rumination to focus on the matter at hand. What to do about Lucifer?

Picking up on God's quandary, Inias gave a mournful sigh and attempted to soothe his Father by covering him with his own wings, no matter how small they were in comparison to his Father. God soothed his child's sadness as he made a decision, and summoned Michael. Michael appeared in all his glorious battle regalia, with the addition of a baby Penemue, one of the Angels of healing, sucking on his wing feathers. Michael scooped Penemue up and ushered her towards their Father, who accepted one more doting child attaching themselves to him.

"You summoned me, Father?"

"Yes, son. Before we begin, pray enlighten me as to why you are in your armor," God frowned.

Michael shrugged. "I was taking my garrison around Earth. We were people watching, until we spotted demon activity in Detroit. I thought it would be a good chance to hone their smiting techniques," he mumbled.

God nodded pensively, while taking in Michael's stooped frame. He had most likely picked up on Lucifer's latest complaints. Well, God had better distract his firstborn, lest his musings took a graver turn. "I have a mission for you and your garrison, Michael. It is of the utmost importance, and I am certain that you will put forth your best efforts to see that My Heavenly Will is carried out." God patted himself on the back, satisfied that this new mission would bring Micahel out of his melancholy.

Predictably, Michael straightened and his eyes flashed with a renewed determination. "I act as an extension of your will, Father. Tell me what needs to be done, and it will be so," Michael stiffly said.

God mused on His latest, most ingenious, plan. He would send Michael and his garrison down to Earth to find the Righteous Man and save his soul from Hell. His garrison would remain on Earth and guide the Righteous Man and prevent the uprising of demons and the apocalypse. God had scrapped that plan almost as soon as he saw the children of humans laughing and playing around, and His heart had swelled with joy. He could really create the sweetest things. Michael, Castiel, Rachel, Inias, Samandriel, Uriel, Sandalphon, and Balthazar would be kept busy in reigning in the Righteous man and his pig-headed brother, who was even now chugging demon blood, in a rather pathetic attempt to free his brother from hell. God wrinkled his nose is disgust. God decided that the sooner the plan was put into action, the better, and he transported the select Angels down to Earth, and settled into his chair, congratulating himself on a job well done.

::::::::::::::

Michael soon found himself surrounded by his brothers and sisters on Earth, who were looking fairly distressed at being plucked out of Heaven. Inias, who had been basking in their Father's glory, looked close to tears as his lower lip wobbled dangerously. He looked around and quickly latched on to his most beloved brother Castiel, who stroked his hair, soothing him in Enochian. Father bless Castiel, Michael thought, as he cast his grace around to get their bearings. They were in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but Michael could not determine much else. Suddenly, he felt a small tremor on his left thigh.

Castiel cast a suspicious glance at Michael's nether regions and deadpanned, "Michael, your groin is vibrating." Uriel took at as his cue to smite the offending object and raised his hand, only for Michael to jump out of the way. He reached into the pocket of his vessel, a dark haired, grey eyed, aquiline featured male, and pulled out a cellular device. Snapping it open, Michael held it up to his ear.

"Father?"

"Hello, beloved son."

"Father, why have you transported us here without briefing us? I was ready to dispatch my garrison to Hell!"

"And so you shall, son. You are to retrieve Dean Winchester, who is angsting in the deepest pits of Hell, and return him to his father, one Robert Steven Singer."

"Father, as far as I remember his genaeology, Robert Singer is not Dean's father."

"True, son, but one does not have to share blood to share paternal love. In Dean's case, his biological father failed in sharing any paternal bond with him. Blood is not a determinant in family, son, you should know this."

Michael nodded, tucking the advice away. "Any further instructions, Father?"

"Yes. I want you to assign a detail on Dean Winchester. Have them stick to him like honey to a beehive. They are to guide him as he stops the apocalypse."

Michael sighed. "Holy Father, is there a reason you have placed us in these vessels?" Michael looked around at his assembled brothers and sisters in dismay. Michael knew that he was certainly easy on the eyes, in both his angelic form and in this one. He was clean shaven, and looked like a lean Adonis. Uriel was a large, muscled, dark skinned male, and was completely bald. He wore a sneer like a permanent fixture, and Michael made a note to slap it off of his face at a later date. Rachel and Sandalphon were in female vessels, both blond and had soulful, brown eyes. They were both petite and looked not dissimilar, and could easily pass as sisters. Balthazar was also in a female vessel, and was busy playing with her excessively large bosom, making Samandriel squeak and hide in shame. Samandriel was the shortest of them, with downy, brown hair cut short, wide brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles all over his small body. For reasons only God knew, he also had on a red cap. Inias, who was clinging to Castiel, was tall and pale, with a drawn face, large, blue eyes, dark hair, and the barest signs of stubble on his jaw. Michael looked at Castiel and dithered. Castiel was absolutely beautiful. He looked not unlike his angelic form, which I was contained behind his ocean blue eyes. His jaw was angular and stubbled, and his hair was in a state of sexy disarray. He would have to keep Castiel close, Micheal resolved. There were too many humans who would lust after his beautiful, lean, body.

God's voice cut into Michael's musings. "No son, not at all. I have no ulterior motive whatsoever in assigning you these vessels." Michael frowned. He knew that tone. It was the same tone Father had used when he used to send Michael to clean up Gabriel's messes. He knew better than to trust that tone.

"Father..."

"I swear!"

"Hmm. Father, before we raid Hell, I have a request to make of you," Michael asked politely.

"Speak freely, my wise son."

"Could you please assign Balthazar a new vessel? He is having far too much fun and is scaring Samandriel," Michael said while slapping Balthazar's hands away from her breasts. No sooner than Michael and asked it, God granted his wish. Balthazar had transformed into a young man with blond hair, ice blue eyes, and a lithe figure. He looked a little put out at the change, but quickly found that he still had nipples, causing a devious smirk to play upon his lips. Michael decided that he didn't want to know, as he thanked his Father, and dispatched his garrison to Hell.

After they had gone, Michael set out to find Robert Singer. It was only polite to brief the man as to his son's return. After all, it wouldn't do for him spot shot the righteous man after all their efforts. Satisfied with his logic, Michael took flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The potoo is an Australian bird to beat all birds. 
> 
> I found that consultingcannibal (her ao3) had done a comic on it and I couldn't resist putting this in!
> 
> The link to the comic: http://consulting-cannibal.tumblr.com/post/126218372391/hey-would-you-do-a-god-and-gabe-comic-about-the


	2. Reassurance and Rest

Castiel had slain numerous demons to make his way to Dean Winchester and was currently wrestling with the stubborn soul. 

"Lemme go, you winged dick!" Dean hissed and thrashed harder, Causing Castiel to strengthen his grip. "Ow! Watch it, you ass!"

"My apologies," Castiel grunted as he flew up to the earth. "If you wouldn't thrash so... I'm only trying to rescue you," he pleaded.

"Well, I don't want to be rescued," Dean snarled. "I'm not going back the-" The soul fell silent as Castiel used his grace to lull him to sleep. Castiel gestured for the rest of his garrison to follow. Inias made a face and gestured to the demon he was beating to a pulp. Castiel rolled his eyes and gestured impatiently. It would take time to remake the body of the righteous man, and Castiel was never one to dawdle. Inias let out a plaintive whine and stomped over, purposely stepping on the limbs of various writhing demons that the Angels had crushed in coming to retrieve Dean. 

Once gathered, the Angels flew out of hell, their mission complete. Castiel landed over Dean's grave, and began to piece together his molecules. As the Angels watched in fascination, Dean Winchester began to reform. Castiel called upon God to lend him his breath, and blew the breath of life back into Dean's body, and watched as his mitochondria began to generate ATP once more, giving his organs vital energy. 

Dean's eyelids flickered and he woke to the sight of a stubborn angel and his siblings smiling benignly down at him. Belatedly, Dean realized that his head was cradled in the sexy angel's lap, which jolted him out of his muddled state. What were these Angels doing here? Why had they rescued him? How come he had never heard of them before? Since when did he take that a guy was sexy? 

"What the Hell!?" Dean exclaimed and jumped up. The Angels quickly surrounded him, as Castiel - Dean remembered - came forward and stopped within an inch of his nose. Dean stared into the endless blue depths of his eyes and found himself unable to remove his gaze from those hypnotizing, blue eyes. Castiel grasped Dean's face tenderly in his hands and gave a small quirk of his lips. When he spoke, Dean heard the power behind his gravelly voice.

"Glory be," Castiel breathed, "For Dean Winchester is saved."

The Angels burst into song, and their song heralded the dawn of a new age - one of the Righteous Man.

::::::::::: 

Bobby Singer was minding his own damn business, and would like to remind you that it was none of your damn business, thank you very much, until a certain uppity angel crashed down his door.

"I had meant to knock," Michael had justified himself. "I must remember to check my strength."

Bobby had thrown holy water and knives, then railed at the stone-faced angel for a good five minutes before Michael announced that Dean Winchester had been resurrected. Bobby's craggy, geared jaw had dropped and he stumbled into a seat. When he looked up at the angel, he had tears in his eyes. 

"You brought Dean back?" He asked weakly. 

"Yes, Robert Steven," Michael confirmed. "He will be here, accompanied by my garrison, in 0.07 seconds after the completion of the next sentence I utter. I suggest you tidy up."

As soon as he finished, a very bemused Dean Winchester showed up in the middle of the study, grasped by a young, lean, and serious looking Angel. There were several others, all dressed in black, formal, suits as Michael was, but some had acquired their own quirks. One Angel, Bobby noted, was wearing a red cap. Another one had changed his formal shirt for a frankly blasphemously low-cut, v-necked, monstrosity. The Angel gripping Dean looked as though someone had had their way with him, and was attired in a loose trench coat. 

"Well, isn't this quaint," V-neck drawled in a British accent. Bobby paid no heed to these words, however. His eyes were fixed on Dean, who hale, hearty, and alive, glaring at the Angel holding him. 

"Dean..."

"Bobby," Dean whispered and started towards him, only to be met with a face full of holy water. Dean spluttered and resignedly held out his arm to be thoroughly tested. There was no getting past the veteran hunter. After a long vetting process, Bobby tucked his knives away, and drew his boy into a rib-cracking hug. The Angels cooed at the display of affection, fondly remembering their own Father.

The coos served to break apart Dean and Bobby, who glared at the assembled Angels. Bobby cleared his throat and barked, "Right, then. Now who are you and what do all of you want?" He immediately regretted his tone when several Angels flinched. 

Michael glared at the old man and said, "As I have informed you, Robert Steven, we are Angels of the Lord, and have been tasked with guiding and assisting the Righteous Man as he strives to stop the Apocalypse." Michael quickly introduced his brethren, who nodded in turn at Bobby. 

"Prove it," Dean demanded. "There ain't no such thing as an angel!" 

Before Michael could respond, Castiel stepped forward until he was once again standing toe to toe with Dean. The lights flickered and cast a shadow over his face as the shadows of two enormous wings grew from his back. Dean gaped in awe, and Bobby yelled, "Don't knock anything over, ya idjit!"

Dean watched mesmirized at the show of heavenly power. Against his better judgement, he found his hand reaching out towards Castiel's back, where he lightly pressed against the coat for a feel of the wings. His hand definitely phased through something, as he felt a powerful force take over his body, energizing him from the point of contact. Dean and Castiel stayed like this for a time, until Michael irately said, "Thank you Castiel, you can stop flashing your brethren now."

Castiel drew his wings back in, his cheeks tinged pink. He didn't know what had come over him to allow such an intimate display. He stepped back into formation, and addressed Dean, "I saved your soul because it was righteous. You are destined for great things, Dean Winchester, God has deemed it so. I see your soul glow bright, despite your sojourn in Hell, and I know that the Creator was correct in His wisdom - truly you are the Righteous Man."

Dean felt a blush crawl up his neck. "Yeah, t-thanks," he stuttered at the earnest Castiel, and quickly turned to Michael, who was observing their interaction with narrowed eyes. "What did you say about an apocalypse?"

Michael drew himself up to his full, imposing, stature, and began to relate his mission to the two humans. "I am Michael, Viceroy of Heaven, the First Archangel, and General of the Host of Heaven. My Father has take de us with guiding you in order to prevent the Apocalypse from coming to pass, where my brother Lucifer will walk free and unleash his demons upon the face of the Earth. Your brother, Samuel Winchester, is the key to Lucifer's release and later instrument of destruction. He is the vessel for the Devil, and the path he is on is dark and filled with nothing but devastation for those he loves. He must be stopped, by any means necessary."

Michael's speech was met with stunned silence, broken when Dean forcefully exhaled. "I am not, under any circumstances, going to kill or hurt Sam. I won't, and if you force me, I'll off myself again!"

"We will just bring you back," Uriel sneered at the presumptuous ape.

Dean fumed. "Just because you're down with killing your brother doesn't mean that I am!" He yelled. 

Michael's expression grew stormy as he stepped forward menacingly. "Do not," he rumbled at Dean, "presume to know about my brother. I have had eons with him. Eons spent loving him, caring for him, and cherishing him. I struck him down once to protect you humans. Do not make me question my decisions, Dean Winchester, you will live to regret it." Dean gulped. Bad idea to piss off the Angel Adonis, he decided. He steeled himself once more.

"I won't hurt Sam," he reiterated. "Not for you, not for anybody! I died to save him once, and I'll do it again!"

"Dean!" Bobby bellowed. his voice cracked on his name. What was Dean doing? Those Angels were going to go Biblical warrior on his sorry ass! He had just got his boy back, he couldn't bear to lose him again.

Dean shook his head and continued, "You had all those eons to stop the Devil and you didn't! You could have, but you didn't want to, is that it? Why now? Sam is not going to pay for you and your brothers' ineptitude!" He yelled.

Before Michael could say anything more, Castiel stepped forward, grasping Dean by his left shoulder. Dean could feel his fingers touch the burn of his own hand now seared into his shoulder, a remainer from Hell. "You should show us some respect," Castiel whispered. "I pulled you out of Hell. I can just as easily throw you back in. You have been chosen, born of a blessed lineage, to stop the destruction of the human race. You would curse the very beings who would aid you? You would insult our beloved brother who felled a piece of his own heart to protect your race? The gall of you," Castiel spat out venomously.

Rachel cast Dean a disgusted look. "He must have a death wish, Castiel. Perhaps you grabbed the wrong soul," she bit out.

"No," Castiel said, still focusing on Dean. Dean's world had come down to encompass just himself and the pushy Angel. "No. You seek to throw yourself on the sword for your brother. You don't think you are worthy of being the righteous man," Castiel slowly realized. "You don't think you deserve to be saved," he mused. 

Dean had gone as white as a chalk, while Bobby was shaking with desperation and rage. Castiel continued placidly, "When I laid hands upon you, I knew you were the one. Your righteousness glowed through the darkness of Hell, Dean Winchester. Do you believe that I would make a mistake?"

"No," Dean managed to croak out. 

"Good," Castiel said, "good. We will not force your cooperation, Dean, I most certainly would not. I cannot speak for my siblings but I would follow you, because I believe that you will do the right thing. You did not break in Hell, Dean-"

"I did," Dean whispered brokenly. "I broke, dammit."

Castiel shook his head. "You stood in front of me, and you asked, why me? Why not another here? That is the mark of a man who thinks of the good in others. A man who sees hope for others. Can you see it for yourself? I can."

Dean hung his head. "I ain't gonna tell you what you can and can't see, man. You want to believe in me, then fine. Just don't be disappointed when I screw up."

"I believe that you won't, Castiel said simply. "I would assist you. My brothers, my sisters, would assist you. You will not fall to evil Dean, because heaven will not let you. And if you do fall, I will always bring you back."

Bobby raised his eyebrows appreciatively. Anyone who could talk Dean out of his stupid tendencies of self sacrifice was alright by him. He mentally cheered for the Angel brigade, and announced, "Now if you idjits are done, I suggest that you shut up and rest up. Fighting the legions of Hell has to take it out of you. The couch and beds are yours, if you need them. Just don't get into my bed, I'm too old for that." Saying this, Bobby trooped upstairs with a copy of the Bible in hand, to research the Angels he would be hosting.

"Robert Steven," Michael called.

"Boy, my name is Bobby! And what?"

Michael inclined his head. "Thank you for offering your house as a base. I was simply going to suggest that you read the Book of Daniel and Revelations," he said with a small smile. 

"You're welcome," Bobby grumbled. "And thanks for helping with the apocalypse. Dean!" Bobby suddenly barked.

Dean, who was engaged in a staring match with Castiel, started. "What?"

"Apologize to the big boss Angel, ya idjit!" No boy of his was going to be rude to someone saving the Earth.

Dean shuffled his feet, and looked down, much like a small boy. "Sorry about that. And your brother, I mean. I get that you liked him."

"I loved him, Dean Matthew. I love him still, and even if I have to strike him down, I will always love him. We are similar that way, Dean Matthew."

Dean flinched both times at the use of both of his names. "Dude, it's just Dean. I'm going get some sleep now," he said and headed towards his room. Michael gave Castiel a discreet signal and Castiel moved to trail Dean. Apparently, Dean had not noticed his angelic shadow until the door had closed, when he exploded in shock, "Cas!"

"Sleep Dean, I will watch over you," Castiel's muffled voice came from behind the door.

"Dude!"

"Fear not, Dean Winchester, Samandriel's voice joined the foray, with a yelp from Dean. "We will all watch over you."

"Intently," Sandalphon's quiet timbre said.

"Just try not to pop a stiffy," Balthazar added. 

"Agh!" 

Michael smiled. Revenge was sweet.


	3. Guilt and Grit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Sam is as ass of the greatest proportions.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, courtesy of Rachel, who despised cloudy days. Bobby and Dean set out to inform Sam of Dean's return, with a tagalong group of Angels. Castiel, Uriel, and Balthazar decided to accompany the two humans, while the rest of the Angels decided to set up base at Singer Salvage. 

Bobby sadly led Dean to a decrepit motel and knocked on the door. It was a significantly broader and healthier looking Sam who answered the door, knocking Deam's breath out of his lungs. Sam looked in the pink of health, and exuded a sense of raw power. Bobby and the Angels had informed Dean that Sam had been chugging demon blood for this sudden boost, and was also the reason for Sam to distance himself from Bobby. Ruby had gotten Sam so addicted to her blood that she had been gradually able to move him farther and farther away from his only family left to him, in the name of a doomed quest to rescue Dean from hell. 

For all his health, Sam now looked weak at the knees. "Dean," he breathed in wonder. Sam reached for his knife, only to be stopped by Bobby. 

"He's real son, I checked." Bobby proceeded to hit Dean with silver and iron amulets and force some water from his flask down Dean's unwilling throat. 

"Ew, Bobby, you drink from that!" Dean whined.

Dean looked back at his baby brother, tears springing to his eyes. Sam was openly crying now, as if Dean's immaturity had finally sealed the deal as to his true identity. Not wanting waste a single moment more, Sam grabbed Dean and pulled him up into a hug. In this process, he pulled a stubbornly sticky Castiel into a partial hug as well, resulting in Dean being jammed between his muscled, emotional, baby brother, and an angel who was stickier than chewing gum to shoes. 

"Mmph," went Dean, and shifted around. This only served to place Castiel's junk right in line with his own buttocks, a situation Dean was not fully comfortable with. He jiggled a little more. "Mmmmph!"

Sam finally let Dean go and noticed Castiel, who had still not unglued himself from Dean. "Dean, who is this man, and why is he rubbing on you?" 

Dean sighed. Here came the explanations. "Sammy, this is Cas. He's the Angel who rescued me from Hell."

Sam looked unconvinced. "Dean... Cas? That's not a very angelic name," Sam said, voice dripping with doubt.

Castiel straightened up, and said, "I am Castiel, Angel of the Lord. I was the one who gripped Dean's soul tightly in Hell and raised him from perdition. We have been tasked by God himself, Samuel Francis, to work with Dean, who is the Righteous Man, in order to stop the Apocalypse."

Sam reeled, and Dean stepped forward to catch his massive frame. "Apo-apocalypse?!" He squeaked in question. 

Castiel nodded gravely, and continued, "The apocalypse has been set in motion, and you and Dean are two central players. It had been predestined in Heaven that two sons of Winchester, descendants of Cain and Abel, would be born and bring the end of times upon Earth. Their actions would result in Lucifer being freed from the Cage and walking the Earth once more, and using his legions of Hell, he would rain destruction upon Earth until Michael would raise his sword to end his evil for good." Castiel paused to let Sam absorb this information. "The first seal of sixty six has been broken already, and more are being broken as we speak. The final seal rests upon your decision Samuel. You have to break it in order to allow Lucifer to walk free. Even now, his minions whisper dark seductions into your ear, and lead to to evil."

Sam looked flabbergasted, and slowly, his look morphed into one of anger. "If you're talking about Ruby, then you've got the wrong idea! She's Ben helping me track down Lilith and finding a way to rescue Dean! She's been helping me get stronger to stop all this!"

"By giving you her blood," Dean exploded. Sam looked shocked and sheepish at the truth. Dean nearly cried. "God, Sammy, please don't tell me you're actually juicing up with her," he moaned. Sam looked away, unable to meet his eyes, as Dean continued to pry for an answer. Dean let out a broken sigh. "I didn't believe the Angels Sam," he whispered. "I needed to know from you. How could you do this? Drinking Demon blood?"

"I'm doing this for you, Dean!" Sam yelled. "I'm doing this to finish off Lilith, to get revenge on her for what she did to you! I started because it was the only way to get you out of hell! And I'll continue because it's the only way to end Lilith for good! How could you believe these 'Angels'? They want me to leave Ruby, and forget about Lilith!"

Balthazar interupted in a disgusted tone. "Lilith is playing the long game, Samuel. Her end goal is to set Lucifer free, how can you not see that? Or is your demon so tasty that you don't want to?" He asked scornfully.

Sam stood up in anger. "This is exactly why I have to stop Lilith! She's going to set Lucifer free! I've been working here to kill demons the only way I know how. Where have you Angels been? Plotting our bloodline? Frolicking in Heaven? Laughing at us humans? Dean, how can you believe these guys?" He asked vehemently. 

Uriel stepped forward in a rage, causing everyone to shrink back. "You DARE," he thundered, "you dare to question us! We have been through hell to save your brother, who was responsible for starting this damn mess in the first place! You, who are an abomination, drinking the blood of the damned, question the authority of Heaven? We are working tirelessly to stop the seals from breaking, seeking to find a way to save your pathetic planet and spare the life of our own brother in the process! You stand there, vessel of Satan, defending your damned choices? The nerve!" 

Uriel's tirade was met with silence. Dean was pale and shaking, and was only upright due to Castiel's grip on him. He had started this? How? We're Sam's actions a result of his? Could he have stopped Sam from doing this? Oh God... 

Dean was jerked from his thoughts by the feeling of intense warmth wrapping around him, and hot breaths on the crook of his neck, chasing away the cold dread and horror. He realized belatedly that It was Castiel hugging him from behind. He felt weightless for a moment, and was then being laid on a soft bed. Dean struggled in Castiel's hold, thrashing futilely. There was a soft touch to his brow, almost a caress, and Dean felt himself tumbling into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

::::::::::::::

Dean awoke to a dimly lit room that he recognized as his bedroom at Bobby's. He blearily looked around and remembered Uriel's words. He had started this... The apocalypse... Sam...

"Quiet your thoughts, they are for naught," Castiel's gruff whisper came from his right. The bed creaked under Castiel's weight as he sat down, rubbing his thumb over Dean's brow. "Uriel's words were harsh," he said. 

"Was he wrong, though?" Dean croaked wetly.

Castiel stayed silent for a while before answering. "Michael will most likely scold me for telling you this, but it has to be said." He drew a breath before continuing. "When the Righteous Man breaks in Hell and sheds blood, the first seal to Lucifer's cage will break. The apocalypse will be set in motion. I knew this, and yet I pulled you out. I did so because, in a way, you were fated to break. I did so because I believe that you will set things right, even though none of this is really your fault, per say. I believe in your sense of justice and compassion for your fellow man."

"I still think you got the wrong man. I spent thirty years in Hell and I broke. My dad-"

"Was not the righteous man," Castiel interrupted. Dean looked at him in disbelief. "He did not break because he felt that you would avenge him, and carry on his burden. It was selfish, and he held out so as to spite the demons. It was unfair of him to put his burdens on you. Heaven knows that you are fated to save us. I know you are, and I will believe it always. If you will not fight for yourself, for your fellow man, then at least do it to vindicate my belief. I pulled you from Hell, Dean. Can you do me this one favor?"

"That's a hell of a favor, Cas," Dean laughed darkly.

Castiel hummed. "I know. But I believe in you. I suspect that it is because I like you," he said consideringly. "I like that bright soul I see. I like your strength, your humility, your compassion, and you in general. I want to help you, I want to see you succeed. Is that selfish of me?"

"Rooting for the underdog, Cas?"

"You are no canine, Dean."

Dean huffed a breath of laughter, and stopped abruptly. "What about Sam?"

Castiel sighed. "When I brought you away, he was still flinging curses at us, a result of the demon blood, no doubt. It makes him disinclined to trust us, forces if heaven that we are. Bobby was unable to calm him and came away without him. He walks his own path now, I suppose."

Dean felt his tears slip down his cheeks. How had Sam become this stubborn mess? How could he have left him alone? He rose to go to Sam, only to stop and look at Castiel. "You're not going to stop me?"

Castiel merely looked at him with sad eyes. "I know what will happen if you do. Sam will not come with you, and your heart will break further. He will rebuff your overtures, and you will be left with your guilt and tears. I will come, as I always do, and I will wipe your tears. Sam has to realize for himself that his path is flawed. I fear that his epiphany will come far too late for us."

"So we're going to do nothing?"

"No. We will fight. We will fight his evils and we will wait. We will beseech him to see the wrongs of his ways, and we will fail. When he realizes his wrongs, we will pick him up, and continue to fight. I am an Angel, Dean. Patience and fighting skill are something my kind have in abundance," Castiel said with a wry smile. 

"So we fight," Dean said simply.

"Yes,'' Castiel said. "We fight."


	4. Love Never Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Dean learns to appreciate the one who really cares for him, and accept that he, too, has a right to happiness.
> 
> Guest starring Lucifer!

Over the next few days, things seemed to have settled, and Dean had come to terms with working with the Angels. He went on hunts with Bobby and Cas, occasionally accompanied by Inias, Samandriel, and Michael. Inias and Samandriel were adorable, telling off the various baddies for their crimes before smiting them. Michael on the other hand would simply smote them and move on dispassionately. 

When Dean told Castiel that his brother's attitude could not be healthy, he was countered by the downtrodden expressions of Castiel and Inias. "Every step we take to encountering and seating Lucifer, the sadder he becomes. Michael was forced to cast Lucifer out the first time, and he succumbed to such a melancholy that we were unable to rouse him for decades. Only the return of our Father brought him out of his depression. He misses his brother, Dean," Castiel said mournfully, "as we all do. The wound on the loss of the Morningstar struck him much deeper than the rest of us, for when he was the first, and alone, Lucifer was with him. Now, he feels bereft. Occasionally, when the channels aspire clear, we hear Lucifer singing to Michael form the Cage, to ease his pain, and Michael singing back softly. Their love is truly legendary."

Dean was shocked at the revelation. He really hadn't thought of what Michael was going through, and whether he would be able to truly stomach casting his brother out again. Even now, Dean held on to the hope that Sam would come back to him, to see the error of his ways. Every night, Dean would place a phone call to Sam, only to have it disconnected. The rare occasions Sam would answer, he would beg Dean to leave the Angels and come to him, claiming that Ruby would help them out a stop to their problems. His problems. He would never once ask Dean how he was or listen to his side of the story. 

Dean couldn't leave Castiel. He was indebted to the awkwardly nerdy Angel who had saved his sorry ass from hell. Castiel had called in a favor and Ddan was damned if he was going to leave the Angel floundering. After all these weeks of close proximity, Dean could admit that he was perhaps a little smitten with the Angel. 

Castiel had absolutely no compunctions in caring for Dean. He would watch over Dean in his sleep from the foot of his bed, with Inias occasionally providing a soothing - in his opinion - lullaby, until Michael would drag the younger Angel away. After a hunt, Castiel was quick to try and heal Dean, and on the occasions he would refuse, would tend to him with hot packs and disinfectants.

Dean hadn't known anyone to be so devoted to him, even when he was not performing at his best or doing what they wanted. When he had let the child of a rogue werewolf run off, he had expected Castiel to be disappointed in him. Michael had looked at him disbelievingly and had slunk off, while Uriel had thrown scathing remarks his way. Castiel was the only one who still came with a cold pack and a hot beverage, and stroked soothing patterns into Dean's hair until he had fallen asleep. When Dean had groggily asked why he was still with him, Castiel has quicker his lip upwards and said that he was glad that Dean had done what he had thought was right and that his compassion extended not only to humans. 

"He was just a kid," Dean had justified himself.

"I know," the Angel had responded with a small smile. 

Dean had found himself drawing closer to the cute and nerdy Angel, who was also a badass in the battlefield, and realized that he didn't want to deny himself the pleasure of being with someone who truly cared for him, and saw him as an actual person, not just a means to an end. 

It was in this spirit that Dean and Cas found themselves stargazing off of the Impala after a particularly long hunt, which had ended in eleven dead and smote demons. 

"Cas?"

"Yes, Dean?"

"After this is over, assuming that we can stop the apocalypse, would you stay back?" Dean had long fumbled over the words, not wanting to appear desperate for the unconditional companionship the Angel had offered.

"I would, Dean."

"Huh?" He hadn't expected that answer. He turned on his side to face Castiel who was looking directly at him.

"I find myself drawn to you. I want to stay with you and help you live your life after all this is done. I want to help you heal this world. I have grown attached to it. I have grown to appreciate the laughter of children, the sunrise, and pistachio ice cream. I am sure that my Father would not mind terribly of I were to stay behind," Castiel said softly. "I also find that I've grown rather fond of you, more than all these things combined," he added with a blush. 

Dean snorted. Of course Cas was the type to like pistachio ice cream. The weirdo. Dean found his fingers moving towards Castiel's and slowly, he twined his pinky with Castiel's. "I'd like that too, Cas. I want to stay with you, too."

Castiel hummed and allowed the pinky touch. It was a promise between them, their own little covenant. There were no need for words between them, no need to broadcast their gr owing love. Castiel smiled at the stars, and sent a thanks to his Father for creating Dean Winchester. Unbeknownst to him, up in Heaven, God was patting Himself on the back, happy that His engineering had ended with one of His children had finding happiness with another of His creations. 

Back on Earth, Michael caught his Father's mood and zapped over to the tree line to see Castiel lying with the Righteous Man. He smiled at his brother's happiness, glad that something good had come of the deplorable situation. He hummed his happiness along the celestial plane, only to receive an unprecedented response. 

"Beware the human cooties," Lucifer hummed back.

"Can't you be happy for him?" Michael sighed back in sadness. 

"I can be happy and tease him at the same time," Lucifer defended himself. "Besides, I'm entitled to be grumpy. I live in a cage. A lonely, little cage," he added.

"I wish I could do more than sing to you," Michael hummed sadly. "I miss you."

"You'll see me soon enough, dearest," Lucifer trilled.

"I don't want to hurt you, my heart," Michael whispered fearfully.

"Then don't," Lucifer whispered back, before the connection faded. 

Michael could not hold back his tears. If only Lucifer would not act as he did. If only he found something the about the humans that he, too, could appreciate, could love. Michael flitted back to Heaven to recuperate. Perhaps punching a cloud out of shape would make him feel better. God only knows that those nimbostratuses deserved it.


	5. Priorities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Sam is not that much of a jerk, really.

It was a gloomy Monday when Dean got the message. 

"Is this Dean Winchester? My name is Adam Milligan. I tried to call... John... but the voicemail said to call you? You're his son? I- I need help, my mom is missing, and there are some strange things going on, and I don't know what to do," the voice babbled the last words out in fright, "please call me back. D... John said that he would come when I called, but..." The voice tapered off and the speaker stopped to take a wavering breath. "I live in Windom, Minnesota. Please, please, call me back." The line went dead and Dean frowned at the desperation in the voice. Not that most people who contacted him weren't desperate, but this one had taken his father's name. He didn't recall ever hearing about any Adam Milligan before. Perhaps he could find something in his Dad's journal. 

There was something alright. There was an entry for a Kate Milligan approximately nineteen years ago. A demon who was posing as a hitchhiker, and would slaughter their kind drivers, and use the blood in demon sacrifices. Twelve years afterwards, there was an entry for Adam Milligan, with a picture as well. Brownish-blond hair, blue eyes, and yep, that was definitely a Winchester chin. The picture showed Adam as an awkward teenager, smiling up at the camera shyly. Dean felt his breath catch and slammed the journal shut. There was no way, absolutely no way...

Dean placed a call to Sam, who for a change, picked up. Unwilling to dither on unpleasant topics, Dean got straight down to business. "Sam, I need you to come home," he choked out between rapid breaths. 

"Dean?"

"Sam... Sam," Dean whispered faintly.

Sam, in his motel room in Denver, stood up in a panic. "Dean! Dean, don't you pass out on me, man! Just hold on!" He was met by silence on the other end, and he continued to scream down the phone line. This couldn't be happening. He had left to avenge his brother's death, and to protect him. Dean couldn't be hurt, he couldn't die...

"Samuel Francis, are you still on the line?" 

Sam jerked back from the phone. "Is this Castiel? Where's Dean?" Sam thundered.

"Dean is alright. He has simply experienced an emotional trauma. I have helped him rest, and I also believe that it is in both of your best interests of you were to be with him now. It is a matter of some urgency," Castiel calmly stated. The unflappable (heh) angel then proceeded to hang up, leaving Sam worked up and panicking on the other end. Ever a man of action, Sam jumped up, threw his meager belongings into a bag, and was speeding down the highway to Singer Salvage, eager to get to his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter, I had a lot going on, and had inspiration for a new work as well. Never fear though, this fix will be finished, my little peppercorns!


	6. Tomato Salsa and Jazz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Adam Milligan! 
> 
> Adam is my cream pie - cinnamon roll baby who has been treated horribly by the writers in favor of rehashing the Winchester brothers' trust issues. But never fear, I have saved him from the cage, and am hiding him in my pocket, protecting him from the evil, evil, world. 
> 
> He just popped out to star in this fic. 
> 
> Enjoy, lovely coconut cream buns!

"Dean, you must calm yourself," Castiel whispered soothingly as he massaged relaxing circles into Dean's back. Dean was sitting on the bed with his head between his legs, breathing into a paper bag while Bobby looked on in concern. Michael was using his wing to generate a gentle breeze so that the Righteous Man would not suffocate in his own horror. 

"Heeeaaa..."

"Shh, that's perfect, just breathe with me, Dean," Castiel soothed. In that moment, Castiel wished that he could have resurrected John Winchester, only so that he could smite him. He could not forgive a man who out the burden that he had on his eldest son, all in the name of his deceased wife, when he was duplicitous enough to live a double life. Not only had the man lied to Dean and Sam, and ran Dean ragged, but he had also been scarcely involved with the other child. Castiel looked at the photo again, of the boy with the angelic smile, and felt a small roll of sadness and pity within his grace.

Dean had calmed himself sufficiently and looked up at Cas with pain-filled eyes. "Is he really... Cas, could dad really have...?"

"If that boy looked any more like you, Dean, then I might have said that he had budded from you," Balthazar remarked lazily. At the twin glares of Castiel and Bobby, Balthazar shrugged and popped open his flask. "Whiskey? It's the good kind, not the potato swill Singer drinks," Balthazar said, holding the flask up to Dean. 

"Hnngh..."

"Shh, my sweet hunter..."

Bobby rolled his eyes. He shoved an unrepentant Balthazar out of the way, and looked over Dean to address him. "Son, you listen to me now," Bobby said. It was time for some gruff love. "Now I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. Just don't go being angry at the wrong person. That boy is not to blame for existing, that's on John. And you're not to blame for anything either, lest you start thinking so with yer fool brain. John made bad choices, and now that boy is in danger, Dean. He needs you. Just treat this like a case, if you want to, but someone innocent is being targeted Dean, and he needs your help," Bobby said. Bobby looked down in concern, and was pleased to note that his speech seemed to have roused Dean from his shock and given him something to think about. 

"Sam needs to know," Dean said weakly.

Castiel nodded and continue to massage his lover's neck. "I have already told him to come back. It would seem that he is even now coming back. Perhaps we can shorten his journey?" 

Inias nodded and fluttered off, only to reappear seconds later with a disheveled Sam in his grip. "I helped!" Inias crowed happily, and skipped off, leaving Sam staring down at Dean and Castiel, who was entwined around his lover, trying to soothe him. Sam took in the sight of the angel tending to his usually overcompensating, macho brother, and how Dean now leaned into his touch. Huh. Maybe Dean had finally gotten into touch with his feelings after all. 

"Dean," Sam said carefully, "why were you panicking? What happened?"

Wordlessly, Dean shoved the journal towards him. As Sam read through the marked entries in mounting horror, Dean rasped, "I got a call from the kid, Adam. There are monsters after him now, Sam. His mom is already gone, probably dead. He's all alone, trying to fend off a bunch of monsters by himself. We gotta get to him Sam, we gotta find him before something finishes him off," he finished desperately.

Sam looked at his brother again. This wasn't about their feud about Ruby, it wasn't about the apocalypse. This was about another boy - their brother - who had also been abandoned by John Winchester in his twisted life and was now paying the price for his father's follies. Sam saw Dean now shouldering the responsibility for another broken boy who had done nothing to deserve his fate, and his heart went out to its older brother. How many times would he put his life on hold for his family? Sam looked now at Castiel, who had eyes only for Dean. Despite his distrust of Angels, Sam couldn't help but relax at the thought that Dean had someone looking out for him.

"What are we waiting for then?"

Dean's head shot up at Sam's words, and Sam saw a new fire in his eyes.

"You heard the moose! Move your fannies!"

And just like that, Mission: Save Adam Milligan was a go.

\---------------

Dean and Sam had bustled with gusto to the impala, where Michael had intercepted them with a roll of his eyes. "I'm faster," he said, and had whisked them off to Windom, home of Adam Milligan. Castiel, Balthazar, and Uriel were not far behind their brother, and the group had assembled on Adam's doorstep - or what used to be a doorstep.

Now, Dean and Sam peeked through the bust down door to see the furniture lying haphazardly around, and picked up the distinct tangy smell of sulfur.

"Damn demons," Dean whispered angrily.

As he made to go in, Castiel held him back, urgently whispering, "I still sense human presence in the house. He is still here, and quite possibly being held hostage."

A battle cry sounded from inside the house, accompanied by pained shrieks and th clanging of metal. Looking horrified, Sam and Dean drew their firearms and rushed inside, only to see Adam throw a vat of what looked like tomato sauce at an oncoming demon. As it hit its face, the demon's face began to smoke and it writhed in pain.

Sam quickly dropped the other demon with a well thrown knife, and Uriel cheerily smoke the already fallen demon. Faced with a handful more demons now, Michael, grabbed Adam and pushed him behind himself for protection. A demon lunged forward to attack Dean, who dispatched it with a powerful stab to the sternum. In front of him, the Angels were making quick work of the remaining demons, who charged forward at their peril. One of the demons broke ranks to charge straight at Adam, who threw more sauce at the demon, and surprisingly, pulled off a high kick.

"Impressive, small human," Michael conceded. "I did not think you had any martial prowess."

Adam looked at Michael, who was still covering him. "I don't," he said uncertainly. "I take jazz classes, though." 

Michael nodded consideringly. "I shall look up this jazz, and see if it cannot benefit our heavenly guard as well."

Adam simply looked dumbfounded as the Winchesters and their Angel friends cleared the area of demons. 

"Enough, Uriel! It has been defeated!" Castiel pleaded to his brother, who was busy whaling away on a now pulpy looking demon. 

"It is therapeutic, Castiel! You should join me!"

"We need at least one to interrogate, brother," Castiel sighed. Uriel stopped begrudgingly and hauled the cowering demon to its feet. "What was your purpose here, hell scum?" Castiel growled.

"The master needs a vessel for when he rises. He shall rise once more, and it shall be glorious, he shall rid the earth of humans and- ick!" The demon was cut off as Uriel started to strangle it again, Homer Simpson style. 

Michael shook his head in disappointment. "Just knock it out, Uriel. Let us depart."

Uriel did as he was told, and looking pleased with himself, rejoined Michael, hefting the demon onto his shoulder. Michael grabbed Adam, who squeaked, and teleported the bunch back to Singer Salvage. 

Adam lost his balance and gripped the nearest support - Michael - while steadying himself. He noticed that his trenchcoated saviour had teleported the two plaid wearing men. One of his hands was out of sight, and judging by the blush on the man's chiseled face, grasping a handful of hot man-hiney. 

"What? What? What?" Adam questioned in bewilderment, staring around at the group. 

One of the plaid monstrosities edged forward, and said, "Adam, I am your brother."

"Dean!" The taller plaid wearing man hissed. "This is not the time!"

Adam stared at the two men and looked around at the rest of the group. He shimmied closer to the handsome man who had protected him before, and promptly passed out, but not before feeling a strong pair of arms wrap around him.


	7. Cue Evil Laughter

Adam awoke to the distinct sound of grumbling. 

"Sleeping not-such-a-beauty finally awakes," an old man with a trucker hat said, staring down at him. "Can we move him off of my bed now?"

"We should see if his weakness has passed first, Robert."

"It's Bobby, ya little idjit," he grumbled as Michael approached the bed. 

Michael leaned over the bed and smiled softly as Adam blinked blearily at him, eventually managing a small smile back.

"He's cute," Lucifer chimed in the back of Michael's mind. 

"I thought you hated humans?" Michael sent back, confused.

"Says who? I just don't like that they ruined His Creation, the planet, with their corrupt, selfish, ways. This one actually recycles, you know."

"You know of him?"

"Demons, duh. Uriel's punching bag downstairs has been tailing the boy for a month. Vessel option two, if things didn't work out."

"No Winchesters then?"

"Meh. Sam is too delusionally righteous right now, and is far too angst ridden for my tastes. And I'm not such a bad brother that I would steal Castiel's man from him. Anyway, is not Dean Winchester your true vessel?"

"Indeed. However, I cringe at the thought of inhabiting his body when his consciousness thinks of increasingly lascivious ways to rob Castiel of his purity," Michael replied with a frown. Lucifer sent a wave of displeasure at him, for making him think of Castiel in that manner. Lucifer shook off the unpleasant thoughts of Dean macking on Castiel by prodding Michael to focus on Adam once more, the latter of whom was now picking at the slightly mouldy blanket.

"Think he can handle the both of us?" Lucifer asked slyly.

"He only just woke up, Lucifer," Michael sternly chastised him. "He does not even know who we are. Dean's announcement seemed to have shaken him."

Lucifer hummed thoughtfully. "He probably thought that their terrible fashion sense was inheritable," he chuckled. Michael rolled his heavenly eyes and shushed his mouthy brother once more, and told him to focus on the task at hand.

"How are you feeling, Adam Milligan? Do you still feel faint?"

Adam's eyes bugged out of his head slightly. Was he in some sort of spy movie alternate reality? He had been attacked and then rescued by a group of handsome, squeezable, men, with one of them hovering over him now. The others in the group... Adam frowned in concentration as he tried to recall what had made him faint. The shorter plaid man had said that he was his brother. His brother...

It was at that moment that said brother rushed in upon hearing Michael speaking to him, and in his haste, landed on the head archangel. Dean swiveled in his lap and fawned over Adam, clucking, "You're awake! What do you remember? Are you ok? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

His trenchcoated companion had also waltzed in at this point, and had adopted a similar position to Dean - that is, on Michael's lap. For his part, Michael seemed fairly unruffled by Castiel perching on him, but shifted to avoid Dean's buttocks wriggling in his face, as Dean moved over Adam's body, checking for wounds.

"He is fine, you simian, I already healed him while he slept. Now get off of me!" Michael exclaimed. 

Dean made a face and moved, saying, "Ugh. You're not my type, Mikey. I already got a fine piece of-"

"Continue at your peril, Winchester," Micheal growled.

"-divine angelic beauty, delivered straight from Heaven's most blessed garden," Dean finished lamely. Castiel smiled shyly, preening from his perch.

Adam chuckled, which drew three sets of eyes to him. "That's an odd way to describe your boyfriend, man," he said, "Heaven's most blessed? Seriously?"

There was a straine silence during which the rest of the group trickled into the room. Dean coughed into his hand and said, "Ain't nothing untrue about it, pipsqueak. My Cas is an angel. So is Michael here, and all the suited dicks, but Cas is special," Dean said affectionately.

Adam gulped. He recalled the way his attackers had been dispatched by the suited men and women, and the fighting prowess of the Winchesters. This man - Dean - in particular was a lethal fighter, using his raw anger to fuel his blows while the taller man used his lanky limbs and reach to his advantage. Adam glanced back at Michael - every bit the commander both on and off the field. He had protected Adam during the heat of the battle, and was by his side to help him come to terms with hai new reality. "I don't know," Adam said boldly, "Micheal seems quite the special one himself," he smiled slyly. 

Michael immediately turned a cherry red while his collective brothers both in Heaven and on Earth tittered. In the dark recesses of his mind, Lucifer huffed a pleasant laugh. 

"I like him, Michael. Can we keep him? I can just imagine the things we could both do to you. Just think, you can lose your perpetual virginity to both of us, and in what ways? Let me think..." 

Michael shushed Lucifer hurriedly, and looked back at Adam, who was grinning at him cheekily, with one eyebrow raised. What had Michael done to deserve two horny beings lusting after him?

"Something very, very, good," Lucifer hummed salaciously. "You were so good, Michael, we should reward you, shouldn't we?"

Michael groaned inwardly, and Castiel patted his cheek in commiseration. Michael took heart that he had at least one brother who knew what it was like to have a persistent lover. 

"I was right," Bathazar murmured to Rachel. "Adam really is a chip of the old block," he whispered, gesturing to Dean. Dean was sitting by Adam now, and look proud at the boy's sudden wit and charm. It wasn't just anyone who could charm the pants off of the Viceroy of Heaven.

Adam noted Michael's blush and prodded his Heavenly backside with his toe softly. "Squeezability aside, I am grateful," Adam said with a sincere smile, "to all of you. If you hadn't come, I don't know..."

Michael roused himself. "You must not say such things," he said gruffly. "Besides, your jazz martial prowess and strange liquid defense were serving quite well to hold your attackers at bay."

"It was most curious," Castiel frowned, "that that lumpy, red, brew served to scald the demons so. What was it?"

Adam dithered and finally said, "Tomato sauce? I was making it for the spaghetti."

"And what holy ingredient was in it?" Balthazar pressed.

"Tomatoes, water, chives, garlic, salt... The usual," Adam said warily. Were Mrs. Brannigan's home grown chives actually holy?

"Most curious, small one," Uriel said. "I shall have to investigate this further." Within a minute, Uriel had the bound and trussed up demon cowering in their midst, still covered with tomato sauce. Uriel barked at the shivering demon to stay still, and then proceeded to use his finger to get some sauce off of it, and licked it, and promptly made a face. "It is atrociously salty!"

Sensing an opportunity to be inappropriate, Bathazar joined in the licking, directly applying his true-form's tongue to the beleaguered demon, who squealed and cried in despair. "It is rather salty," he confirmed. "Needs a touch of lemon as well," he mused.

"Bathazar, cease licking the demon," Michael said with a cringe. "Although..." Michael suddenly straightened up and addressed the demon in a booming voice. "Demon! You shall tell us how you discovered Adam Milligan., and who led you to him. If you fail to answer, I shall task Balthazar with removing the rest of the sauce!"

The demon's eyes widened in horror as he saw Balthazar's tongue sneak out in his true form. He hopped as far away as he could and nodded frantically to Michael, willing to tell all. Michael undid the gag and gestured for him to speak.

"We got the message an hour ago. We got there just a few minutes before you did, once we had the lock on the kid. We knew that John Winchester had another kid, we'd known for four months beforehand, but the kid wasn't in Windom then, so we had to wait! Please don't let him lick me!"

Adam's face blanched. "I was away at college," he said tremulously. "We were on a month-long trip to Mexico, to set up a clinic in the countryside. I only came back when I got the message that mom had passed."

"Four months..." Castiel said slowly. "Four months ago, I had only just raised Dean from Hell, and he only found out because he went through John Winchester's old entries in the journal. Who had the journal then?"

All eyes turned to Sam, who looked horrified. "But I didn't know about Adam either! I only knew when Dean told me, I didn't even open dad's diary while Dean was gone! I couldn't have opened it, it used to to Dean's after dad's, I couldn't bear to touch the thing!" he cried. 

Michael's eyes darkened. "You may not have touched it, but someone else did," he rumbled, gripping Adam's pale, shaking, hand tightly. "And I would bet my wings that I know who." He looked at the band of angels and gave a sharp nod. As they disappeared, Dean jumped up in agitation. 

"I knew it! I knew that that bitch couldn't be trusted! Why don't you listen to me, Sam? I'm going to fry her in boiling oil!" Dean shouted.

Sam jumped up angrily and bit out, "You don't get to talk about Ruby that way, Dean! She is trying to help track down Lilith so that we can stop her from doing to others what she did to you! You should be grateful-"

"Grateful for WHAT?" Dean roared. Sam, Adam and Bobby all jumped at Dean's outburst. "That she's yanking your chain? That she was about to shove Lucifer down Adam's throat? That she would sell you out to help Licifer rise?"

"She wouldn't-"

At that moment, Castiel and Balthazar reappeared with Ruby in tow. "We found her absconding. She was headed to St. Mary's Convent. Even now, there are demons congregated there with Lilith to break the final seal. Michael, we must do something fast!"

"Sam, don't listen to them! This is our chance, Lilith is right there, Sam, we can stop her!"

Sam looked conflicted as he looked exactly from Ruby to Dean, both of whom were looking at him pleadingly. With a final glance, he lunged for Ruby, and she vanished with him. The Angels roared in anger at Sam's defiance in the face of the truth, and looked to Michael in horror. 

"Michael! Lucifer will rise now! We need to do something so that he cannot break free of the cage!"

Michael simply sat by Adam's side and after a moment, smiled. Balthazar shrieked in horror and tore open his shirt. "He's lost it! He's lost his damn mind!"

Michael turned a vexed look upon Balthazar and pinched him hard. "I have not taken leave of my senses, you dimwit. If Lucifer is to rise, then let him."

"Augh!"

"Hush. The apocalypse will only occur when Lucifer is in his true vessel. Do you understand now?"

Dean snapped his head up. "You're not going to hurt Sam," he said with finality. 

"Then what do you intend to do, Dean? As far as I can see, you are my last resort now. Something must be done about Sam, and it has to be now," Michael shot back. "We cannot kidnap him, or harm him, there will be hoards of demons fighting against us, but whatever is to be done must be done now."

Dean looked taken aback at the sudden responsibility for the situation being dumped on his shoulders. Sam was about to free Lucifer and start the Apocalypse, but he would be possessed...and the boy that he knew and loved would be gone. 

"My baby brother..."

"Yes?" Adam asked.

"He was referring to Sam, I believe," Michael whispered.

Adam harrumphed. "He hasn't been anything close to a baby for a long time," he said harshly. Adam wasn't so forgiving about Sam siding with the one who had ordered his abduction.

Dean shot up as a stroke of inspiration hit him. "That's it! Adam, you're a freaking genius! You definitely take after me!" Saying so, he planted a big, sloppy, kiss on Adam's head. 

"Ew," Adam said placidly, reaching for a tissue to wipe off any trances of Dean-slobber.  
"Michael!" Dean trilled. 

"Have you finally come to a decision?" Michael asked testily. 

Dean nodded. "Make Sam a baby again! That way, Lucifer can't use him as a vessel, Ruby loses her figurehead for the demon rebellion, and we can slowly sway Sam back to our side! It will only take one well aimed spell, that's enough to subdue Sam and not have to break through the demon ranks."

Michael tilted his head in consideration. There truly was a reason that Dran was the righteous man. Not many would seek to protect and raise the one who had betrayed them as Sam had. Anyway, it was no skin off of his vessel's nose if he were to oblige Dean. With his purposeful dithering, Lucifer would be free soon enough, and if this was a way to take Sam safely out of the equation, then so be it.

"Then let us make haste," Michael said. Oh, sweet irony.


	8. His Butt is on the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, Lucifer. Would you like a cookie? No? A vessel? Hmm... I'll see what I can do.

St. Mary's Convent was in ruins. 

The demons had been using innocent humans to draw blood sigils, leaving the bodies where they dropped. Sam was disgusted at Lilith's brashness, and looking at the bodies strewn at his feet, he silently vowed revenge for all of them. 

Like a man possessed, Sam fought his way through the demon army, and finally stood face to face with Lilith. Her smirking face was what goaded him into action, as he engaged in battle with his foe, unnoticing that the remaining demons were doing nothing to harm either him or Ruby, but we're instead guarding the remaining entryways.

Sam finally thrust the blade into Lilith's stomach and felt a wave of thriumphant joy and relief wish over him. It was finally over. Dean wouldn't have to live like a hunted man, and his sacrifice had been vindicated. Lilith was dying, dying, and... laughing?

"Can you hear Him Sam?" Lilith whispered feverishly in his arms, "I can hear him coming back to us. I can hear him singing..." The light blinked out of Lilith's eyes and her body fell away from Sam, who was rooted to the spot in horror as light spilled from the spot where Lilith's blood had fallen. He backed away in horror as he realized that Dean had been right all along, and now, his brother, his family, and all of humanity was about to pay the price for his stubbornness. He readied himself for the inevitable, and prayed that Dean would find whatever happiness he could in these last days. 

With a sudden roar, the doors burst open, and Sam swiveled in time to see Dean and the Angels fly through the doors. The guards went flying as the Angels smote and stabbed with a righteous fury they had not seen since the battle of Lucifer's Fall. Ruby screamed terribly, face contorted with rage at her plan falling to bits. 

"Protect the Master's vessel at all costs!" she screeched, as her words struck Sam like daggers to his heart. Ruby raised her hand to hex Dean, who was making his way towards her, but was instead met by Castiel. In the frenzy of the battle, it seemed that Sam was watching Ruby in slow motion, as Castiel threw her aside with contemptible ease, and Dean thrust an angel blade into her ribs. Dean and Castiel's faces were both illuminated by Ruby's flicking corpse, and both had similar expressions of twisted glee, though for completely different reasons. Dean's happiness came from the fact that he had had the pleasure of personally finishing off the bitch who had harmed his brother and their relationship, while Castiel's joy was a byproduct of his Righteous Man's.

Castiel turned to face Sam, who stared back, rooted to the spot in horror, as Castiel raised his hand towards him. He may have imagined it, but as the spell hit him, he could have sworn that Castiel had the barest of smirks on his otherwise stoic face. Sam blinked away stars as he regained his senses seconds later - what had Castiel done? Dean and Castiel were making their way towards him now, as the other angels fought off the last of the demons. Castiel got to him first, and scooped him up like a football - wait, what? Sam looked around in horror as he realized that Castiel and Dean towered over him, and that everything was out of proportion. 

"You're holding him wrong, Cas!" Dean yelled.

"My apologies," Castiel murmured, and he gently shifted Sam into a more comfortable position. Sam squealed as he felt a cold hand cradling his bare bum and bit his tongue as he heard his own voice. He hadn't sounded like that since...

"Dean!"

"Yes, munchkin?"

"Argh!" Sam bellowed, or in his current situation, squeaked, as he jostled his small, naked, body against Castiel's trenchcoat. 

With the last of the demons dispatched, the Angels regrouped around them, watching in horror as the light grew stronger and stronger. An unearthly screeching noise soon filled the chamber, causing both humans to clap their hands to their ears, while the Angels displayed various emotions. Michael looked fondly exasperated, while Castiel bit his lip in obvious distaste. Samandriel blushed and ducked his head in a panic, eventually settling on hiding behind Uriel, burying his face in his jacket. 

"Cas, what's going on?" Dean yelled over the din.

"Lucifer is singing, Dean," Castiel replied evenly. "He is using rather colorful language because his tertiary wing snagged on a rock on the way up," he sniffed. "How crass."

Even as Castiel spoke, the screeching increased in pitch, and with as it reached its highest, died out. As the rest of the Angels looked about frantically, they spotted a tall, lithe, blonde with eyes reminiscent of shards of ice. He was standing innocuously next to Michael who was staring right back. The tense moment was broken by Castiel. "Lucifer," he whispered in a voice tinged with awe and fear.

Lucifer turned to his brethren, smirked, grabbed a handful of Michael's ass, and promptly flapped off to places unknown. 

"Well," Dean coughed into the silence, as Michael rearranged his bum, "that was anticlimactic."

"How did Lucifer find a vessel?" Samandriel piped up from behind Uriel's vast bulk. "He should not have been able to-"

"Adam!" Michael burst out in a panic. "We must check on him! He can be used as a spare vessel! We must prevent Lucifer from accessing his body!"

"WHAT!" Dean burst out. "No one is going to 'access his body', no how, no way!"

"What if Lucifer has established contact?" Inias quavered. "You know how persuasive he can be."

Michael shuddered. If Lucifer somehow managed to blend his grace with Adam's soul, there would be double the horniness preying on his ass. Even though the thought scared him, it also send a pleasant thrill through his grace. Although, he mused, he would much prefer the two beings retain separate vessels. Both were unique in their own ways. While Adam had his snark, ingenuity, and determination in common with his beloved Lucifer, he retained an innocence and vulnerability that appealed to Michael. He could very well imagine that Lucifer would be similarly drawn to the boy. 

Michael led the way out of the ruined convent, with thoughts of sweet, secret, meetings with his love adding a bounce to his steps. And if the others mistook the extra bounce as urgency, well, then, they would not be entirely wrong.


	9. The Bold, the Brazen, and the Bashful

Dean burst into the Singer home with Sam swinging from his neck, and Castiel on his arm. In his haste to get to Adam, he nearly bowled Bobby over, who was busy yelling at Balthazar for tracking in blood and mud.

"You dirty idjit! I oughta hose you all down!"

"Come now, Singer, your wet angel fantasies will have to wait. Lucifer has risen, you know," Bathazar snarked back. 

Paying no heed to the angel and human sniping at each other, Dean rushed into Adam's room and pulled him into a strangling hug. "You're safe!"

"Erk," Adam wheezed back from the chokehold. Smushed between Adam and his eldest brother was a small, mop haired, boy, naked as the day he was born. As Dean released him, Adam paused to look at them all in turn.

Castiel was attempting to swaddle the fidgety boy in his coat, who Adam assumed was Sam, and Dean had jumped into action, similarly wrapping Adam in mounds of blankets, muttering something about making his body inaccessible to filthy Angels. Michael was the only one who retained some semblance of normality. He perched himself at Adam's side and asked, "Did Lucifer make contact with you, by any chance?"

Adam sighed in relief. At least there was one being who could prioritize his thoughts. "Yes, just about ten minutes ago," he said. Dean ceased his attempts to bury Adam in blankets, and wailed directly into his ear. 

"WHAT!"

"Ow, Dean, ear," Adam murmured. Michael shushed Dean impatiently and prodded Adam's ear, healing his bruised ear drum, or what felt like one. "As I was saying, he did come by while I was asleep, but only in my dream. He did just what you said," he said, gesturing to Michael, "he tried to get me to say yes, and was trying to be extremely slick as well. He even insinuated that we could 'derive mutual pleasure' from our bonding, you have any idea about that?" Adam cocked an eyebrow at Michael. 

Michael did his best to battle a blush he felt rising. This boy was too perceptive for his own good. "Ah, no, little one. I have no idea."

Dean did not notice the last part of the exchange, being too busy bristling at the 'mutual pleasure' that Lucifer had implied. Castiel, however, narrowed his eyes, catching the true intent behind Lucifer's words. His brother had never been one to give his affections so freely. Even with his family, Lucifer had never been overly expressive with his love. That he would show interest in a human boy, no matter his lineage and potential would be foreign to his nature. Before he could ruminate further on the issue, Michael leapt up.

"Adam, you must continue to resist my brother's advances to merge. Without a vessel of suitable strength, he may not be able to wreak as much havoc as he could with one of true lineage. He is sly, tricky, and as you say, slick."

Adam huffed a laugh. "Don't worry, Michael, I'm not an easy date. He would have to at least save my life from an invading demonic force for me to even consider, ah, merging," Adam finished with a wide smile. 

There was no holding the blush back this time, as Michael felt his ears grow warm. He stuttered and fidgeted on the bed, as Adam smiled back innocently. Summoning up his courage, Adam inconspicuously linked pinkies with Michael under the blanket, drawing a shy smile out of the Archangel. He was a bold one, Michael thought to himself. No wonder Lucifer had liked him enough to approach him. 

Dean broke through the romantic moment with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. "Why if Lucifer decides to pay him another midnight visit, huh? I don't want Adam to be caught off guard."

Michael sensed an opportunity and moved in, saying, "I shall accompany Adam's dreams from here-on-in, so that even if Lucifer should visit, he will be deterred." He glanced at Adam to see the boy look surprised and pleased at the thought of spending more time with his favorite angel. Hopefully, Michael thought, he could properly introduce Adam and Lucifer and see where things went from there.

"Well," Adam said, "I'm beat. Goodnight, losers." Saying so, Adam draped one of his many blankets over Michael and pulled him close. Who knew what his dreams held in store that night. With these pleasant thoughts, Adam fell into a deep sleep, ignoring Dean's enraged spluttering as Castiel dragged his brothers out.


	10. A Human, an Angel, a Smaller Human, and some Angst

Dean spluttered in rage as he allowed Castiel to steer him into their bedroom. 

"I'm going to kill your brother, Cas!"

Castiel hummed as he dropped Sam onto the bed and hastened to help Dean out of his jacket. "Hmm, which one?"

"Lucifer, duh. He wants to use Adam's body to mack on Michael!"

Castiel stopped short in shock. "How can you say that?"

"Oh come on, Cas," Dean sighed, "I'm not stupid. You guys are always going on about how their love is 'legendary' and shit. And Michael isn't exactly subtle either, what with his constant mopey eyes and sighing. I saw Lucifer squeeze his butt back there. I'm on to those two!" Dean took a deep breath and continued, "I don't want Adam to be caught up in this life, Cas. He has a chance to make it, to be alright. Look what happened to Sam, because I wasn't around for those months! Ruby had him twisted around her fingers!" At this, Sam flinched. Trapped in a four year old boy's body, restrained by Castiel's bug ugly trenchcoat, Sam had no option but to reflect on the truth of Dean's words. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a sharp smack, which turned out to be the sound of Castiel slapping Dean. 

"Don't you ever- never again, Dean-" Cas spluttered, apoplectic with rage.

Dean stood in front of Cas, stunned that his usually docile angel would raise his hand upon him. "Cas-"

"No, Dean! I thought we were past this! Not everything is your fault, there is a reason that we have minds, to think! We have the power to decide for ourselves! Sam took a decision, a number of decisions that led to this moment, and it is his burden to bear! You did not force his hand, or goad him on. Did you guide his blade towards Lilith? No!"

"But he did it for me!"

"He was wrong!" Castiel thundered. Dean stopped short at Castiel's anger. "He was wrong! We told him to stop! You begged him to stop! He chose the demon over his brother's advice, over the advice of angels! He abandoned his new-found brother to seek vengeance, to satisfy his need for vengeance! He has a chance now, Dean, to rectify his mistakes, we have given him time. He can refuse Lucifer when he comes back! He can purge himself of the blood he consumed, and repent! He can devote his efforts to restoring balance to a world that he helped bring to the brink! If he is truly as good, as capable, as smart, as you say he is, he will do it!"

"Hell yeah!" Sam squeaked, tearily.

Castiel nodded fortifyingly at Sam's robust agreement. At least the boy was willing to fix his blunders. It would take time and a great deal of penance on his part to rectify the hurts he had dealt Dean. Castiel would show Sam what he had to do, and once he followed through, he would consider him redeemed, but not until then. 

"Dean, you are a good man. A Rightous Man. But the actions of others are not your burden to bear, or correct. They have to do that by themselves. People themselves pave the paths they walk on through their deeds, and it is foolishness to think that you can change their minds or their paths. You cannot save everyone, Dean, even though you try," Castiel finished softly.

Dean hung his head. For a change, he decided to listen to Castiel, and shelve his self-esteem issues. Sam cleared his throat and rolled closer to Dean.

"Dean, this one is not on you. You were trying to prevent the seals from breaking, and I was the one who was too stubborn to listen. I have to pay the price now, and I'm willing to fix my mistakes, even if I have to die for it," Sam said, hanging his head.

Castiel rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt it will come to that, Sam," Castiel said. "We can safely say that the Apocalypse is just a melodramatic way of Michael reuniting with Lucifer-"

"-And ride into the sunset with their big, gay, love story," Dean murmured.

"Thank you, Dean," Castiel smoothly took back the reins, "And I think that if this is what is truly the case, we are much better off than we were in the beginning. Our most pressing problem now would be the influx of demons that have rallied on Earth. We have to find a way to exorcise them, or banish them, and the only way I can see that will be applicable on a large scale is appealing to Lucifer himself, now that we know his end game," Castiel finished. 

"That still doesn't solve the problem Adam is having, what with Lucifer trying to jump his bones! As far as I can tell, Michael is stringing him along!" Dean rumbled angrily. 

Castiel bit his lip pensively. He did not want to believe that Michael would manipulate an innocent boy into agreeing to become a vessel for Lucifer. Heaven's Viceroy was known for his moral backbone. It was he who cast Lucifer out in the first place, seeing that his brother was about to destroy humanity. 

"I don't feel comfortable accusing Michael without proper support Dean, and we need to do this soon - Adam's body and mind are on the line," he said worriedly. 

Sam interrupted, rolling over to face Castiel. "Pfft. Yeah, how's that going to go? Accuse your eldest brother of having an torrid, incestuous, love affair with the Heavenly Accuser who happens to be your second eldest brother? Nice line, Castiel."

"We need to find someone who would be willing to hear us out, to be willing to hear that my brothers could very well be harming innocents with their, as you say, torrid, incestuous love affair. Who would listen to such raunchy tales?"

Dean brightened and slapped his thigh. "I know a guy."

Little did they know that those words of the Righteous Man would alter the course of the apocalypse and shake the foundations of Heaven and Hell. 

Dean hefted Sam and grabbed Castiel's hand as he traipsed out with a smile on his face. 

It was time to find Balthazar.


	11. What Tomorrow Holds

Adam felt himself drift off to sleep, and soon after found himself in a sandbox.

"I remember this place," he said, "Mom used to bring me here after her shifts at the hospital."

Michael cringed next to him as he felt sand enter his socks and lodge in between his toes. His discomfort was soon forgotten, as he watched Adam trace patterns in the sand with all the innocence of a child. Without looking up, Adam asked, "So when is Lucifer coming?"

Michael choked on air as he gaped at Adam, who fixed him with an unimpressed stare. "I'm not stupid," he said, "I saw how you delayed the group when you attacked the convent. I also saw how you blushed whenever his name came up in conversation."

"I do not blush," Michael huffed.

"Oh yeah? Lucifer."

Michael blushed. 

Adam smirked triumphantly as he sauntered over to the swing set. He stared balefully back at Michael. "What I don't appreciate, though, is your willingness to use me as a pawn in your games. I really liked you, Michael," he said sadly. 

Michael balked some more, and summoned up his righteous anger. "I did not use you!" He said shrilly. When Adam cocked an eyebrow, he continued, "It was not my intention to use you! I can assure you that your feelings are reciprocated. In fact, it was Lucifer who egged this on! He is quite smitten with the idea of involving you in our lives as well." 

Adam fell off the swing in shock. Lucifer wanted him too? "Does he really want all of me? Or does he just want my body?"

Michael pouted. "He is hardly so superficial. Besides, you could just as well ask him yourself," he said, pointing with his chin over Adam's shoulder. Adam turned to see Lucifer lounging in a provocative pose behind him, violating the innocence that came with a merry go round. Goodbye, innocent childhood, Adam thought, as he approached the Devil.

"Adam Milligan," Lucifer said silkily, "nice to see you again."

*~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~*

 

"Hello, Adam Milligan," a soft voice crooned next to his ear.

Adam blinked awake and found himself lying next to a blonde man with ice-blue eyes, who was propped up on his elbow. Looking about, Adam realized that he was back in his bedroom in Windom, which most certainly meant that he was dreaming.

He looked back at the man lying next to him, now fiddling with Adam's hair. Adam batted the offending hand away, making the man pout dramatically. "You will not allow me to inspect my future vessel?"

Adam scoffed. "You missed the step where you have to ask me for permission," he said.

"May I take you as my vessel?"

"No."

The man pouted harder, and resumed playing with Adam's hair. "How about a consolation prize?" He ventured. 

Adam sighed. "Lucifer," the man's eyes snapped up, and Adam continued, "I am not about to consent to being your vessel so that you can throw an epic tantrum and level the world."

"Well, then," Lucifer rose, "I should just find someone else, then."

Adam huffed a laugh, making Lucifer stagger. "Good luck with that. How many people do you think are going to consent when you tell them your name?"

Lucifer frowned. "All the more reason you should agree," he said, bouncing back onto the bed. "I have great things to accomplish, and very little time. Anyone else should be honored that the second archangel is requesting use of their body."

"There is the small matter of using said body for global destruction," Adam hummed.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Thcah!" He clicked his tongue. "A mere byproduct of my grand plan. The true purpose of my rising is far more poetic and heart-warming, I assure you. In fact," Lucifer shifted so that he hovered over Adam, "if you acquiesce to this plan, I can guarantee that we will experience mutual pleasure from the culmination of my plan."

"You say that as though you know what I would derive pleasure from," Adam counted coolly.

Lucifer smirked. "I am privy to a great deal, little human, that you are not aware of. For example, I am aware that you are quite taken with a certain dark haired, grey eyed, archangel who answers to the name Michael," he said.

Adam rolled his eyes. "So what? How would getting with you get me any closer to him? Have you seen him? All we've done so far is talk, and he's blushed so hard that I could feel the heat radiating from his face!"

Lucifer hummed and nodded in commiseration. "Yes, it took him a while to even hold hands without combusting when we were younger," he sighed. 

Adam sat in silence with the Devil until realization struck him with all the momentum of a freight train. "You... and Michael?"

Lucifer grinned happily and collapsed back onto the bed with a sigh. "My beloved Michael," he crooned to no one in particular. Forcibly rousing himself out of his daydreams, Lucifer swiveled to face Adam once more. "You know Michael. He has the weight of the world and his family on his shoulders. He will not let himself be free unless everyone is accounted for. But he is lonely and his efforts to free me have been ongoing for many years. This apocalypse nonsense just happened to be a convenient opportunity."

Adam sat in silence until Lucifer rolled off of the bed. "Do contemplate my offer, my dear, I think you will find it to be mutually beneficial to both of us. Until next time." With that, Lucifer biffed off, leaving Adam feeling confused, alone, and rather oddly, missing the hand in his hair.

*~*~*END FLASHBACK*~*~*

"Lucifer, you fix whatever you've done this instant!" Michael chided his brother. "Adam thinks that we want his body!"

"Among other things," Lucifer murmured seductively, his fingers finding their way into Adam's locks once more. 

Adam found himself rather enjoying the head-rub, and leaned into the touch. "Just because I let you play with my hair doesn't mean that I'm going to let either of you use me as a vessel," he bit out angrily.

Lucifer hummed. "You intrigue me, Adam," Lucifer said. "You are bold enough to refuse the offers of angels, and have enough belief to stand your ground. It is not every man who refuses to heed Heavenly prophecy, not that I am a fan of it myself, of course. Isn't that right, Michael dear?"

Michael sniffed in discontent, making his own position clear. "I have lost too much in following Heavenly Doctrine. My love was taken from me, and the humans we were charged with soon found that they were better off without us. If Father thinks that I am going to cast Lucifer down again, then he is sorely mistaken. Humanity has proved that it can fend for itself, and I am more than happy to let things be as they are." Michael stepped closer to Adam, fixing him with an unblinking gaze. "Heaven believes that Lucifer would actively destroy the Lord's Creation as per prophecy, and it is they who we need to talk down. However, they are rather set in their ways, and I had to resort to underhanded tactics to give us a chance."

"Well, why can't you elope, then?" Adam asked, even as the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Heaven would get the message sooner or later."

Michael shook his head. "I cannot bear to leave my family in disarray, when I have spent eons maintaining order and peace in Heaven. What's more, I believe that we will not have to run away." Michael's lips turned up in a slight smirk, making Adam's stomach flip. It was the same smile that Michael had when he had spotted Lucifer. "The Angels believe that Lucifer detests humanity-"

"And I do despise a rather large portion of it. For example, murderers, thieves, hypocritical-"

"Hush, you. If we manage to show them that Lucifer has been able to develop positive feelings for a human, then it is possible that they would reconsider."

Adam's heart sank. "So you want Lucifer to pretend to like me?"

Lucifer's face crumpled. "You still do not understand. There will be no pretense involved. The interest, respect, and attraction are already present from both of us. We can simply... Build on that," he said slowly, with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

Adam stood between the two archangels, completely gobsmacked. "But... but why? Why me? I'm not a fighter, like Dean or Sam, I'm not uber smart, I'm just average! And you-"

"-have enough experience to recognize a brilliant soul when we see it," Michael said with a soft smile. "I recognized the courage you possess when you artfully wielded sauce and your jazz against a demon horde, where most would have ended up begging for their lives. You adapted beautifully to the circumstances you have been thrust into,. Not even your brother, who was raised as a hunter, was able to differentiate good form evil when the time came. As you can see, purity of blood is hardly a factor in making a person brilliant."

For a long while, Adam simply stood between the two angels, allowing Lucifer's roving hands to drop down to massage his neck. Michael was gazing at them with a softness in his eyes that spoke volumes about his patience and love. Lucifer on the other hand, was not so patient, and nuzzled Michael's cheek with his nose, trapping Adam between them. Finally, Adam cleared his throat. "You think we can make this work?"

Lucifer looked at him triumphantly. "That remains to be seen. Worst comes to worst, I can simply enlist your help in kidnapping Michael in a daring, midnight escape."

Michael frowned. "Why would you two kidnap me?"

"Because we both know that you have the bondage kink, dear," Lucifer said silkily, as Adam's eyes lit up with a gleam of horniness. Michael sighed in defeat, but smiled inwardly. One way or the other, they would get through this apocalypse and come out on the other side. Together. 

\--------------------

"Mm, oh my."

"Ew, quit getting aroused, dude," Dean grimaced.

Balthazar paid no heed and continued to hum placidly, imagining what the two foremost archangels got up to in their spare time. It wasn't like they were hideous, malformed squids. What was a little innocent imagination going to hurt anyone?

"Balthazar, not in front of the child," Castiel said angrily, covering Sam's eyes where he sat on his lap. 

"Oh, you are a bore, Cassie," Balthazar snapped and focused his attention on Dean. "So my brothers are getting it on, eh? And you want to stop this, why? It is incredibly hot, even you have to admit."

Dean pursed his lips in annoyance. At least Balthazar believed their story. When Dean had finished telling Balthazar about what he had observed, and his conclusions, the angel had not expressed any disbelief. Instead, he was open minded enough to say that it was perfectly possible, as he too had heard Lucifer's song strengthening as of late, even whilst in the cage.

"I don't care about if they do it or not!" Dean barked. "What I'm concerned about is that Michael is stringing Adam along! I don't want Adam to get more hurt than he already is! He just lost his mom and his home, he doesn't need heartbreak on top of all that!"

Balthazar sighed. "And what do you think, Cassie dear?"

Castiel shifted in his seat uncomfortably, and said, "I am inclined to give Michael the benefit of the doubt. From what I have seen, he is quite taken with Adam. We must also remember that he stood against Lucifer the first time around." Dean made to interrupt, but Castiel pinched him and continued, "I also think that the best course of action at this point would be to talk to Michael without being confrontational. If he is roused to anger, it will not take him long to smite us all."

"I agree," Balthazar said, running his fingers slowly down the back of Castiel's head. "Best use tact in situations such as this."

Dean tried to pry the interloper's fingers away from his lover angrily, stating, "What the hell! Don't draw inspiration from your brothers, you feathery git! Cas, make him stop molesting you," he whined.

Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean and replied, "For a change, Balthazar is not being inappropriate. He is merely trying to groom some unreachable feathers. We do this rather often at home, it's a bonding activity for us."

Dean and Sam craned their necks to look at Castiel, who merely rearranged Sam on his lap and continued, "You cannot see them. They are only visible to those who can perceive my true form." Dean looked put-out and slumped in his seat, prompting Castiel to lean over and whisper sweet assurances in his ear of how Dean had already satisfied him completely, without being privy to his true form. Sam found himself squished between the overly loving couple and after a bit of squirming, went limp.

Dean glanced down at his brother is some surprise. "Sorry Sammy, forgot that we had you there. You could have said something, dude."

Sam hung his head. "Consider it as part of my penance. Silent suffering at having to watch my brother suck face with an angel - kind of an ironic punishment," he said, with a stoic face.  
Dean beamed and ruffled his brother's small head. "That's my boy, taking it like a man. We'll fix this, Sammy, don't you worry."

"Back to the plan," Balthazar said snippily, "I vote that we speak with some of the more moderate angels as well. Samandriel, Inias, and Rachel come to mind. That way, Michael will be less likely to try and lie to us, if he knows that so many need for him to justify his actions."

Castiel sighed. When had his family come to this point? One brother rotting in a cage, the other pining away into madness, and a whole battalion of confused siblings lead to believe that they had to wage war on the former brother. Almost as though he read his thoughts, Dean reached over and stormed the back of Castiel's head. "We'll make it better, Cas, I swear," he said with wide eyes. Castiel smiled gently and rested his head on Dean's shoulder. He allowed himself to hope. 

"We will confront Michael tomorrow, then?" 

Dean tightened his hold on his angel and his little brother. "Yeah," he said. One way or the other, shit was going to go down tomorrow, but he would be damned if he let his family get screwed over. They would emerge from this trial intact and stronger for it, but most importantly, they would be together. 

\--------------------------------


	12. Plan D

When told of the plan to confront Michael, Samandriel cried for a solid ten minutes, and Inias caused clouds to gather only over Singer Salvage. Nevertheless, after much gentle cooing and soft words, both angels came around to their side. Rachel took the news better than her siblings, and accepted it with a fierce set to her jaw. 

"I had wondered why Lucifer was so unfazed when he faced Michael in the chapel. I will not allow Michael and an innocent boy be drawn into Lucifer's clutches. If his intentions are honorable, he should be able to prove it first, given what we went through during the first war," she said bitterly. 

Later in the day, Dean led the way to Bobby's library, where Adam and Michael had somehow managed to squeeze themselves into Bobby's armchair, and Michael was threading his fingers through Adam's hair, while at the same time he tried to read a book. 

Dean's heart clenched at the thought of his new brother getting his heart broken, but he hardened it, knowing that if Adam was being used by Michael and Lucifer, he would be in torment for eternity. "We have to find a way to distract them," he whispered. Even as he spoke, Adam managed to stealthily get his arm behind Michael, and judging by the archangel's resulting blush and squirming, he had managed to hit the jackpot. 

"He is stroking in between his wings," Castiel whispered lowly. The rest of the Angels emitted gasps and soft cries of shock, while Balthazar tried and failed to hide his arousal. 

"What gives?" Dean whispered back.

Castiel shifted uncomfortably. "It is an erogenous zone for us, Dean. If tittilated properly, it is most... pleasurable," he breathed hotly in Dean's ear, making his skin tingle.

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Is that why you-"

"Yes, Dean," Castiel muttered hurriedly. "Later," he whispered, squeezing his human's hand, as he sensed Dean's need to test this new information. Sam frowned from in between the two lovers. Was everybody getting some, except for him?

"The plan, guys?" Sam reminded them bitterly.

Dean nodded, shelving his dirty thoughts for the time being. "There's no greater cockblock than a baby. Sam, you're up," he said, giving his brother a push. Sam steeled himself. If his role called upon him to be a cockblock, then cockblock he would. History would bear witness to he cockblocking prowess of mini-Sam Winchester. 

Sam sprinted into the room, and flung himself over Adam's and Michael's laps, making them jump apart. He looked up at the two irritated lovers, and gave them his biggest, most guileless, smile. He squeezed himself in between them, and made himself comfortable. Phase one was complete. 

"Samuel Winchester, what in Heaven's name do you want?" Michael asked in irritation. No one had stroked his glands for eons, and Michael refused to be left half titillated and half horny. 

"Just wanted to sit with my favorite guys," Sam chirped. Beside him, Adam willed his emerging boner down. Stupid baby brothers and their stupid cuteness. Ever the smart one, Adam summoned thoughts of a naked Bobby to mind. A few seconds of that, and his erection wilted away, too traumatized to make another appearance for at least twenty four hours.

"Samuel-"

Dean chose that moment to burst into the room, flanked by his Angels. "Ah ha!" He crowed triumphantly. Castiel sighed. 

"Michael, we need you to explain to us what you are up to," Castiel said mournfully.

Michael jumped up. "Cas-ti-el!" He ground out in humiliation and anger. "Do not make me explain what was just happening, I know you cannot possibly be that dense!" 

Castiel shook his head hurriedly. "Not that, Michael, the matter regarding-"

"Go on, Michael, what were you doing, exactly?" Balthazar interrupted. Under the combined glare of Castiel and Michael, he subsided, but only for the time being, he vowed. Nothing would hold him back from getting those juicy details.

"-regarding Lucifer," Castiel finished. At Michael's lack of response, he continued softly, "Michael, please, tell us what is happening. We can help you, whatever the matter is. We don't want you or Adam to get hurt," he pleaded. 

Dean took matters into his own hands and jumped in. "I saw Lucifer grope your butt!" Dean yelled. "You let Adam grope you too! What I want to know is, who are you groping? You can't cheat on Adam with your crazy brother!"

Adam had had just about enough. "Dean! I am a grown man, I will grope whomever I want, given their consent!" Dean opened his mouth, but Adam broke in, "I grope Michael frequently, and so does Lucifer! And guess what, you guys, he likes it! We all grope each other, and what's more, we all like it!"

There was pindrop silence. Dean placed a hand lightly over his mouth in an oddly genteel gesture. Castiel looked as though he had been slapped, and Sam was looking distinctly uncomfortable from between Adam and Michael. 

Michael looked devastated. He looked from Rachel to Balthazar, and quickly looked away, as Balthazar's expression of glee was distinctly uncomfortable in the given circumstances. He sidled closer to Adam, seeking assurance in his young lover. Forgoing subtlety, Adam reached for Michael, linking arms with him, sensing Michael's distress. He felt Michael shaking beside him, and guessed that he was working himself into a panic. "Michael, stop," he whispered urgently. "This isn't helping our case."

Castiel looked horrified at Michael's reaction and cautiously stepped closer. "Michael," he said slowly, "we are not doubting you, we are concerned that you are not thinking clearly. Help us understand, we want to know what is happening," he pleaded. 

Meanwhile, Dean was sneaking over on Adam's other side, armed with a blanket. Quick as a flash, he threw it over Adam, and wrested him away with a triumphant cackle.

"DEAN!" Adam yelled and thrashed. Michael sprung up and freed Adam's head, revealing his chagrined expression and tousseled hair. "What was that for?" He hollered. Dean looked unapologetic, and continued to layer Adam in as many blankets and sheets as he could find. Adam wriggled from his cocoon and yelled, "You can't keep us apart, Dean!"

All this was proving to be too much for Michael. He swatted Dean aside and held Adam's head to his chest. "You won't take him from me," he rasped at Dean, fixing him with wild eyes. "You won't take him away from me, you won't take him-" 

In his madness, Michael did not sense his power building up, sending pulses of grace radiating from his vessel. Castiel grabbed Dean and threw him to safety unceremoniously. "Michael, calm yourself," he cried, even as Michael kept up his chant. Inside his cocoon, Adam was looking terrified at his lover's condition. Michael's garbled words turned into screams as he sent objects flying, causing the Angels to scatter. Dean ran to Adam in his cocoon and attempted to drag him, blankets and all to safety, while Castiel attempted to quell Michael's terror. 

The other Angels tried to contain Michael's grace, but a stray bolt of grace broke free of their shield and made its way toward Dean. As if in slow motion, Dean watched the bolt of grace sail towards him, and felt Adam trying to roll them to safety. 

Unexpectedly, Sam jumped into its trajectory, taking the bolt meant for his brother. His body went flying through the air, and his fall was cushioned by Adam's sheets. Almost immediately, he felt excruciating pain, as his muscles burned and twisted. Dean and Adam's shrieks and pawing hands did nothing to soothe the pain, but even in his pain addled state, he appreciated their care. All of a sudden both the pain and his brother's hands lifted, and Sam scrambled up to check himself. 

"Is everyone alright?" He gasped and suddenly stopped. He reeled from his sudden increase in vantage point and the deepens of his voice. Realizing that he had reverted to his natural age, Sam straightened proudly, hands on his hips. "Dean, look! I'm normal again!"

"Yeah, sure, good," Dean mumbled, his eyes downcast. Sam frowned and looked at Adam, who had adopted a similar position. Sam made to come closer, when a sudden gust of wind, probably from Michael, froze him in his tracks. His body was feeling the wind in places it really shouldn'thave been. Blushing, Sam used one of Adam's discarded sheets to cover his lower half, and straightened again, and met his brothers' eyes sheepishly. Dean smiled softly, and gathered both his brothers close, shielding them from Michael's storm. Once he had safely deposited the, in a corner, he made to get to Castiel, who was still trying to restrain an inconsolable Michael. "Cas!" He yelled, striding forward, only to be thrown back by Balthazar.

"If you lose your head, Cassie will have mine!" He roared.

Adam watched everything from a corner and decided that things had gone far enough. Someone was bound to get hurt if he didn't act now. "Lucifer," he whispered urgently. "I'm at Singer Salvage, we need you to come and get us. Things have gone balls up," he prayed fervently.

The next second, the door was blasted of its hinges as Lucifer strode in, his face lit without fire of his determination. Behind him, he brought an army of hellhounds - vicious enough to keep the Angels distracted, but not enough to harm any of his brothers. Father forbid anything happen to baby Samandriel, he would never hear the end of it. As he predicted, the Angels and their humans were engaged within minutes, and gave Lucifer ample opportunity to grab Adam - who it must be noted grabbed back with no small amount of strength - and conjured ropes to subdue Michael.

"Plan Damsel in Distress is a go, Adam," Lucifer said as he tossed the ropes over his now bemused brother. "Get tying," he said cheerfully. Michael broke out of his panicked state and squawked indignantly as his two lovers trussed him up securely. Once finished, Lucifer hoisted him onto his shoulder and grabbed Adam's shapely backside. 

"Now what?"

"Now, my dear," Lucifer purred into Adam's ear, "we haul ass."

With Lucifer gone, all the hellhounds but one suddenly vanished. The remaining hellhound - or hellpup - rolled over onto its back with its tongue lolling out. Dean sprang forward from where he was back to back with Castiel, knife drawn, and yelled, "What the hell just happened? Where's Adam?"

"Lucifer took him and Michael both!" Inias cried. "They're gone!" There was a collective wail from the younger angels which shattered the remaining windows. 

Dean paled. Adam was gone, along with the Viceroy of Heaven. How had things become so complicated? He shook his head and looked around. "Everyone else alright?" He got mumbled agreements and some nods, what with Samandriel being too choked up to answer coherently. "We need to get them back," he said assertively. "If they're with Lucifer, then-" Dean paused and looked at Castiel. "Then, um, I really don't know," he finished lamely.

Castiel scrunched up his eyebrows. "Precisely. We do not know what Lucifer will do, now that he supposedly has what he wants. I am not sure that he even wanted this Apocalypse. It seems to me that all this was collateral damage to him in getting Michael, and in the process, Adam."

A contemplative silence descended on the battle worn group. Dean shuffled uncomfortably. If only he hadn't pushed Michael to the brink of panic by separating him from Adam, then-

SMACK.

"Ow!" Dean hollered, cupping a hand to his cheek. "What the hell, Sam!" He hollered, as Sam shook his hand out smugly. 

"Good job, Sam, thank you," Castiel said appreciatively, before rounding on Dean. "If you even think about blaming yourself for this then I swear upon all that is holy, Dean Winchester-"

"It was no one's fault, Dean, it was a misunderstanding! And no one is actively looking to hurt anyone else!" Sam butted in, before Castiel could throttle Dean. "Our focus now has to be on getting Adam and Michael back, and reassuring them that we won't hurt them!"

"Michael back?" Samandriel choked out morosely. Balthazar moved in, stroking the emotional angel. 

"There, there, ack!"

Uriel strode into the room and yanked Balthazar away from the youngest of them. "What," he rumbled, "has happened here?" 

"I'd like to know that as well," Bobby said, taking in the ruins of his house. His eyes fell on the happy hellpup, now contentedly chewing on the shag carpet. "We go out to trap one lousy demon, and you manage to lose an archangel, Adam, trash my house, and get a hellhound?" He hollered. "You phenomenal idjits!" Everybody flinched. "Will someone tell us what's going on?" 

Dean sighed. "Well, it started like this..."


	13. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue to go! Thanks to all those who stuck by this till the end! LadyGrelka, special shout out to you, your comments were my fuel! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story! 
> 
> I will be writing more fluff, so don't forget to check it out! You guys can leave prompts in the comments! 
> 
> Much Love,
> 
> Living_Free (aka Free)

After Dean related his story, he sat down, massaging his right ear from sheer Bobby had cuffed him around the head multiple times. Uriel looked distraught at losing his eldest brother, and was pacing tensely.

"We are somewhat certain that Michael and the boy are safe, though?" He asked. Castiel nodded. 

"It seems we severely misunderstood their position in regards to each other," Castiel said ruefully. "In his grief at their sepration, Michael did not truly wish to stop Lucifer from rising, and sought to reunite with him. It was pure chance that Lucifer also found the potential Winchester vessel so appealing that they have apparently discarded plans for the destruction of humanity entirely to go into hiding together."

Dean choked on a scream. Their youngest brother was sleeping with the Devil. "We have to get them back," he said weakly. "There has to be a way to track them, right guys?" He asked hopefully, whirling to face the Angels. 

Bobby scoffed. "You're all idjits!" He declared. "You've got a tracking mechanism right here, chewing on my carpet!" He said, pointing at the small hellhound, which was enjoying a tummy rub, courtesy of Sam. 

The guilty Winchester immediately froze, and picked up the hound to bring it to eye level. "What do think, Mr. Skittles? You think you can track our brother down?" The pup stuck its tongue out cluelessly, and wagged its forked tail. Dean jumped up in horror and yelled, "Sam, get away from that thing! Don't you remember how those things ripped me apart the first time?" Sam frowned at Dean and replied, "Dean, those were full grown hounds under Lilith's orders. This is a puppy, and it's Lucifer's too. I don't think that this version of the devil would order his dogs to maul his brothers and their in-laws."

Dean dithered for a while, before Castiel spoke up, "I'm sure Sam is right," he said softly, "this appears to be a mere hellpup, and a defective one at that. At the moment, it is the best chance we have of finding our brothers. Do you have any of Adam's belongings he could get a scent from?"

Dean jumped up and grabbed as many of the discarded sheets he could find, and dumped them in front of the hound. "C'mon, mutt, get sniffing!" He demanded, hands on his hips. In response, Mr. Skittles the hell-mutt rolled onto his back and kicked his legs into the air, presumably demanding a belly rub. Sam quickly indulged his new pet, and once the bribe had been accepted, it sniffed around the sheets. Once it had absorbed enough eau de Adam, the pup bolted to the door, scratching at bit to be let out. 

Castiel immediately took Dean's hand, saying, "Hold on to me. Lucifer may have taken them to a different country altogether. If we need to fly, then you need to be prepared." Balthazar grabbed hold of Sam around the waist, smirking, while Sam strained to release himself. Meanwhile, Bobby took hold of Uriel, the only angel he trusted not to fondle or cry on him. As the hound vanished, the residents of Singer Salvage vanished with it, following its sulfurous trail with the hope that they would find their brothers safe on the other side.

*~*~*

 

Meanwhile, somewhere in Paris, France...

"Skies above, his wings got bigger," Lucifer moaned as he lowered his brother's prone form onto the extravagant bedspread. Adam clicked his tongue at the blonde angel and set about making Michael comfortable. 

"Guh," Michael started awake and stared at Lucifer and Adam in bewilderment as the situation sank in. Michael groaned in understanding and he flopped back down onto the bed as Lucifer and Adam climbed in next to him, squishing him in between them. "I can't believe you actually tied me up," Michael mumbled, mortified.

Lucifer snickered as he pushed Michael's hair out of his eyes, making him focus on Lucifer, which made the latter drop all pretense of nonchalance. "Are you sure you are alright now?" He asked seriously.

Michael nodded. "When they removed Adam from my arms, I couldn't take it. I remembered when you were torn from me as well, when you plummeted to hell. I remember holding you one minute, telling you to stop your senseless battle, and the next, you were gone, falling..." Michael's eyes glazed over at the memory of losing his lover. The thought of it happening again was too much to bear. "No one was hurt, were they? I remember Castiel holding me, and Balthazar...doing things..."

Adam smiled comfortingly and said, "No, no one was hurt. One of your blasts did hit Sam, though, but all it did was restore him to his correct age."

"Hmm," Lucifer hummed placidly, "Michael's grace is naturally benign. Any accidental blasts would only better or restore whatever it had struck. It was no small wonder that Sam was restored. But you need to stop worrying, Michael," Lucifer said, meeting his eyes, "there is no force that can separate the three of us now. I've brought us to a separate continent altogether. Just try and enjoy the time we have, hmm? And if I have anything to do with it, we are all going to be together for a very, very, long time indeed."

Michael finally relaxed into Lucifer's arms, and allowed Adam to sensually massage the kinks out of his neck. Of course, his work was undone as Lucifer pressed kisses all along his spine, making him tense up in anticipation. Above him, he heard Adam giggling as Lucifer afmisitered the same treatment on their little human. Michael sat up and rolled over, pinning Adam beneath him, and with Lucifer, settled on either side of him, pressing sweet kisses to his neck and stomach as Adam giggled up a storm.

Things were just staring to heat up, and clothes were making their way off, when the door burst off of its hinges and Dean Winchester came striding in. "Aha, we found you!" He crowed triumphantly. As the dust form the door settled and the air cleared, Dean saw just what he had found, and immediately shrieked. "Argh! Cas! Sam! Help! They're doing things to each other!"

Adam crawled under the covers to protect his modesty, and tossed Michael the discarded duvet, knowing that the older angel was not going to be caught by his siblings in his current state. Lucifer, on the other hand, had no such qualms, and strode over, getting all up into Dean"s space. Dean tried to back away hastily, and ended up trampling Bobby's foot. 

"Ow, dammit!"

"Sorry Bobby! Just keep the kid Angels out!" 

Bobby threw Lucifer a displeased look and stomped out, dragging Inias and Samandriel with him. Once he had deposited them outside, Bobby doubled back and dragged Balthazar out as well, fearing he would take too much interest in the situation. 

Castiel sighed and merely shrugged off his coat, draping it loosely over Lucifer's bare shoulders. For his part, Lucifer was too engaged in his stare-down with Dean. "How," Lucifer ground out, "did you find us, Winchester?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know, you evil bag of dicks? How dare you kidnap our brothers and make out with them!"

"Me? You dare to threaten my lovers and expect me to not retaliate? You repulsive little worm, I ought to smite you where you stand. It is only because Castiel has set his heart on you that you are still consuming oxygen! Had I my way-"

Michael sighed and got up from beside Adam, clearly having heard enough. For his part, Castiel pinched Dean hard, and whispered, "What did you say you would not do, Dean?"

Dean grumbled under his breath. Sam slapped his arm, making him yelp. "Antagonize the devil!" He bit out. Castiel smiled at his silly, but ultimately good hearted Righteous Man, and turned to face his absconding brothers. 

"Lucifer, Michael," he said softly. "It pleases my heart that all three of you are well. We assumed the worst when you all disappeared, and were guilt ridden. We need to clear the air, for the good of everyone."

Michael sighed. "You speak sense, Castiel," he said. "Truly, Father has given you both intelligence and exquisite grace. We have all acted in a hasty manner tonight, and we must clear the air, as you said. But I must confess," he continued, "that I am also curious about how you found us, and so soon at that," he said. No sooner than he had finished speaking, Mr. Skittles yapped gaily from Sam's arms. The archangel's both frowned at the yipping hellhound while Sam tried his best to hug it into submission. 

"Little Beelzebub, the runt of the litter," Lucifer said. "I should have known that he would mess things up. I ought to have known that he wasn't cut out for attack maneuvers. He couldn't tell the difference between a chew toy and a torture instrument. Some hellhound he is," Lucifer scoffed. Upon hearing his master address him, Beelzebub the pup, or as he was known now - Mr. Skittles - leapt from Sam's arms and repeatedly head butted the Devil's leg playfully. Lucifer sighed, recognizing a lost cause, and allowed the hound to continue pestering whoever it fancied. 

Dean cleared his throat once more, and started speaking. "Look, obviously, we're missing something. You," he pointed at Lucifer, "are not out to end the world anymore. You," he pointed at Michael, "are a conniving brother-stealer, but I will hear you out, because it's only right to give you a chance after you spent so long keeping Heaven in shape. You," he pointed at Adam, who was rummaging through the sheets, looking for his pants, "are in so much trouble," Dran finished, gritting his teeth. 

Adam winced. "Yeah, I guess I kind of deserve that," he said. "But at least hear us out, Dean, I swear this will make sense if you do!"

Dean looked between Adam, Michael, and Lucifer, trying to suppress his urge to lash out. There was too much at stake, he realized, and that it was only fair to give Michael a chance to explain why everything had gone balls up. After all, how many months had the angel spent at his side, slaying demons and preventing seals from breaking? How many lives had they saved together through eradicating demons hell bent on triggering the apocalypse? Michael had been clear that Dean was his vessel, but had never sought to possess him, instead giving his blessing for his union with Castiel. Dean owed it to the archangel to hear him out. 

Michael sat down heavily and began his narrative. "I was lonely," he started. "I could hear my brother sing for me from the cage, from the day he had been cast out. I had given up my love in order to safeguard God's creation, but I refused to abandon him. No one knew that he sang to me. Oh, they all heard him, but they didn't know why he sang, or to whom. We contented ourselves in this way, until Father directed me to aid you, Dean, in stopping Licifer once and for all. I believe now that he suspected my relationship with Lucifer, and sought to bring us to a head, to solve the issue once and for all. He did not count on our bond lasting over the many eons, though. I agreed to help you, knowing that one way or the other, I would see my love again." 

Michael paused as Lucifer pressed his cheek into his shoulder. He took a breath and continued, "Sam was being used by the more radical demons to break the final seal. If these demons had their way, Sam would have been sacrificed as Lucifer's vessel, and you would have stopped at nothing to kill Lucifer and save your brother," he told Dean. "I could not let that happen. Before the final seal broke, I readied another vessel on Earth for my brother, so that once he was released, he would not have to be involved with your family at all. It was sheer luck that you suggested that we incapacitate Samuel as well, by turning him into a child. When he finally came back, it was all I could do not to sing my joy to the Heavens."

"Ok, so you guys have an epic love story," Dean said confusedly. "How does Adam fit into all this?"

Lucifer smiled softly and picked up where Michael had left off. "Adam was something of a surprise. A spare vessel thrust into our world, but instead of submitting to his role, he fought his would-be captors, and charmed the pants off of the Viceroy of Heaven. He piqued my interest, and Michael's as well. When we brought Adam into the equation, both Michael and I realized that he could serve as a balance between us. He is capable enough of standing his ground, which is always a plus when dealing with me, and is determined to bring together a family of his own, as he lost all that he knew. He brings a sort of, innocence, almost fragility, into our lives, that makes us stop and think before we do anything that could affect us."

Adam huffed. "'M not fragile."

"Delicate, then?"

"Mmphh."

"Dainty."

"Hmm. Better." Adam lay his cheek on Michael's back and hummed. He could deal with being dainty.

Dean watched their exchange with thoughtful eyes. If Adam was happy and safe, then who was he to object to the relationship? It would only serve to burn bridges by holding on to his self righteousness.

Castiel too watched the scenario unfold, but his focus was on Dean. It was remarkable how his bondmate had matured in the span of a few short days. Where he once would have thrown a fit at anything to do with Lucifer, he was actually considering the merits of the same being. Of course, if Lucifer could grow to appreciate humans, then Dean could surely learn to bite his tongue. 

"So... Everyone's good?" Dean asked, eliciting nods all around. "No apocalypse?" More nodding. "Big, happy, family?" This time, a sob punctuated the silence. Everyone swiveled over to see Uriel sobbing into his hands. Castiel tutted sympathetically and soothed his volatile brother.

"I'm so happy!" Uriel sobbed aggressively. "The Host can be whole again! Now nothing will stand in our path to wipe out the demons! All those who oppose us will cower at our unified might!" 

"That escalated quickly," Sam mumbled fearfully, backing away rapidly.

Dean glanced at Castiel, feeling at peace after a long time. His angel caught his eye and smiled back, knowing that this day marked a momentous occasion. Today was the day that the Host was reunited, and the perfect blend of three realms came to be in the form of Michael, Lucifer and Adam. Today was to be heralded as the day that the Righteous Man learned a thing or two about patience and acceptance. Finally, it was also the day that the world learned that family took a lot of work to keep together. Dean's persistence and Castiel's never ending patience saw to it that their family was united in the end. 

Dean was just happy that this was the day that he would finally get laid, after spending months not being able to catch a break with his luscious angel. Large families and roving Balthazar's tended to get in the way of that. Speaking of Balthazar...

"Balls and more balls!"

"Bobby?"

"I lost them!"

Michael jumped up in alarm. "Who?"

"Balthazar made off with Samandriel! Said he would "show him the sights", or something like that, to get his mind off things," Bobby groaned. "They flapped off before I could grab them, those little twits!"

Lucifer snickered. "How nice for them," he said. "Paris is, after all, the city of romance. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of Bathazar's book. Shall we, Michael?" Lucifer made a sweeping gesture to the bed and a half naked Adam. 

Michael raised his eyebrows. "You want to be intimate while Balthazar is on the loose with the youngest angel in Heaven? Can you not reign in your libido for even a minute?"

Lucifer pouted. "I lived in a cage for thousands of years! Besides, Samandriel is not so young. He has existed since eons before there was any life on earth!"

"But still... with Balthazar!"

Adam sighed. At this rate, he would remain a virgin for eternity. "Think about it this way," he butted in, "the sooner we find them, the sooner we can have sex," he reasoned with Lucifer. "How would you like it if Michael's thinking of smiting Balthazar when he's in bed with us?"

Lucifer sighed. "I suppose that would be unpleasant," he said morosely. "Let's do this, then," he said, taking Michael and Adam by the arms. The things he did for love.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All stories must come to an end, the fluffier, the better.

As it turned out, they did find Balthazar, feeding a croissant to a bewildered Samandriel in front of the Eiffel Tower. Michael had waited until they had returned home to launch his tirade at Balthazar, insisting that he wait a few hundred more years until Samndriel came of age to court him. Balthazar rolled his eyes and agreed, only to throw Samandriel a heated glance when Michael's back was turned. Everyone but Michael knew that that promise wouldn't hold for long.

Castiel and Dean ended up taking an early honeymoon in Paris, visiting the sights, people watching, feasting on crepes, croissants, and each other. When they returned to Singer Salvage the following week, Dean wore a dopey smile on his face for three whole days, even when he stabbed a witch in Minnesota. Castiel was just happy that Dean was happy, and that his family was finally together. They even planned to have a small wedding sometime in the coming months, much to their family's delight.

Sam and Uriel joined forces and proved to be a most capable demon-slaying team. The number of demons released during the time leading up to the Apocalypse dwindled pretty fast under their onslaught. 

Michael and Lucifer split their time between Heaven and Earth, with most of their time now spent in Singer Salvage with Adam. Meanwhile, Adam had taken up his studies once more, and tended to any banged up hunters who showed up at Bobby's. He had become fast friends with one Garth Fitzgerald, who showed up quite often with various injuries, much to Bobby's vexation and to Lucifer and Dean's amusement. 

Overall, things had gone pretty well for the merry band of Angels and humans on Earth. Up in Heaven, God sank into the plush cushions on His throne, and smiled smugly. Things had gone swimmingly well. Michael and Lucifer had reunited, and had a new companion. His little oddball angel, Castiel, was happily settled in his life with an enlightened and wiser Righteous Man. Sam Winchester had been redeemed, and Balthazar was showing surprising maturity as well, restraining his more adventurous overtures to little Samandriel. All in all, life was going swimmingly.

God turned to his old friend, Death, and smirked at him. "I heard that Tessa punched Mortimer the other day for bungling a pickup. Such a shame, when siblings need to duke it out, don't you agree?"

Death raised a thin eyebrow at his friend. "Indeed. But children will have such petty tiffs. By the way, how are yours doing?"

God sighed happily. "My children are... brilliant. They've grown, matured, and have found happiness for themselves. I couldn't be happier."

Death nodded sagely. "Speaking of maturity, isn't that Gabriel that I see on Mount Everest? It appears as though he is crafting something up there..."

God pursed His lips and turned His eyes upon the mountain, where it appeared that Gabriel was reshaping the top to make it look like the head of a penis. God jerked upright in horror and flew down to retrieve His son. Was He never to have a moment's peace?

Up in Heaven, Death leaned back, accepting a glass of soda from Inias, who chirped his happiness at his uncle. Petting the angel's head, Death closed his eyes with a smile. Truly, as long as there was life, he would never have a dull moment. He tuned back into Singer Salvage, where Dean was attempting to explain Dr. Sexy to Castiel, who was too busy watching his lover's lips move. Never a dull moment, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!
> 
> Thanks once again for reading and enjoying the story! Your comments are always welcome!


End file.
